or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
49 used & new from £2.27
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Hesiod and Theognis (Classics)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Hesiod and Theognis (Classics) (Paperback)

by Hesiod (Author) "Very little is known about HESIOD and it cannot definitely be prove that the same man wrote both the Theogony and Works and Days ..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £11.99
Price: £5.44 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £6.55 (55%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, February 11? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
16 new from £3.63 33 used from £2.27
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover Order it used
Paperback (New edition) 9 used & new from £0.01

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics) by Apollodorus

Hesiod and Theognis (Classics) + The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
Price For Both: £10.64

Show availability and delivery details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Homeric Hymns (Penguin Classics)

The Homeric Hymns (Penguin Classics)

by Homer
4.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £5.63
The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

by Apollodorus
3.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £5.20
Prometheus Bound and Other Plays: The Suppliants; Seven Against Thebes; The Persians (Classics)

Prometheus Bound and Other Plays: The Suppliants; Seven Against Thebes; The Persians (Classics)

by Aeschylus
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £2.99
The Athenian Constitution (Classics)

The Athenian Constitution (Classics)

by Aristotle
£6.39
The Peloponnesian War (Classics)

The Peloponnesian War (Classics)

by Thucydides
4.6 out of 5 stars (14)  £6.30
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Prentice Hall; Reprint edition (27 Feb 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140442839
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140442830
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 1.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 205,495 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

Together the poetry of Hesiod and Theognis offers a superb introduction to the life and thought of ancient Greece. Hesiod’s Theogoney (c. 725 BCE) is a powerful creation myth: an epic, bloody tale of dark forces, sex and violence, tracing the history of the world from primeval Chaos to the establishment of Zeus as supreme king of the gods. In contrast, Hesiod’s Works and Days, written to advise his indolent brother Perseus, is an intriguing, sophisticated combination of ethical maxims, social and political comment and superstitious law. Elegiac rather than epic, the works of Theognis - written some two centuries after Hesiod - include theological speculations, love lyrics and moral advice for his protégé Kurnos, reflecting the moods and themes of an aristocratic poet who mourned a changing Greek society.

From the Author

I wrote this a while back, and I hope you enjoy it.
Well, after some conjurer brought me back from the dead to ask my why I wrote the Theogony, I ask Zeus to thunderbolt him and send him to Tartarus. Since I am here, now, I will say that my poetry is for enjoyment, pure and simple. I am, incidentally, a better author than Homer, and a much nicer guy. But going back to my comment, Zeus was never all that cruel towards his parents. As a matter of fact, he intends to let his dad Cronos out of Tartarus in a few centuries. Prometheus is another story, however. Anyhow, I made the poem gut-wrenching so you all would like it. I am overjoyed at the honor shown to me by all the printings of my work. Thanks --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Very little is known about HESIOD and it cannot definitely be prove that the same man wrote both the Theogony and Works and Days. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Hesiod and Theognis (Classics)
56% buy the item featured on this page:
Hesiod and Theognis (Classics) 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
£5.44
Theogony and Works and Days (Oxford World's Classics)
27% buy
Theogony and Works and Days (Oxford World's Classics)
£5.49
The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
9% buy
The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics) 3.5 out of 5 stars (2)
£5.20
The Homeric Hymns (Penguin Classics)
4% buy
The Homeric Hymns (Penguin Classics) 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£5.63
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Of Gods & Men, 10 May 2003
This translation by Dorothea Wender is well set out and easy to read.

Taking the works in order, Wender presents Theogony, Works and Days and the elegiac poetry of Theognis in a clear and concise manner bringing both life and a sense of excitment to the text.

Theognis' elegies are, as Wender herself proclaims, more freely translated. This should not be seen as a distraction; the same vigour evident in Hesiods works is retained in the poetry but the reading is easier because the language is contemporary.

Collected together, the work of Hesiod and Theognis can be viewed as having a common thread; the inconsistency of men and society and the need to trust in the gods. Whilst Hesiods 'Works and Days' gives common sense advice for the farmer, sailor and society, Theognis provides us with maxims and psychological attributes by which to organise our lives. Despite being written perhaps 200 years apart, Theognis' elegies reflect Hesiods words: Hesiod says "Shun evil profit, for dishonest gain is just the same as failure". Theognis echoes this thought with "Possesions come from Zues ... but if a greedy man ... acquires them ... he ends in sorrow."

In summary this book is enjoyable for many reasons; the translation is clear and a joy to read, the morals and observations still have a resonance today and the works are an excellent place for those interested in ancient Greek literature and intellectual thought to start or extend their investigation. Dorothea Wender is here congratulated for her presentation and style in bringing the works to life. An excellent read.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Who do you think you are?, 5 Jan 2008
This review is from: Theogony and Works and Days (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)
You'll need a sheet of paper the size of a football pitch to map out Hesiod's family tree of the gods! This edition, however, boats a lively translation supported by a brief and concise introduction and useful explanatory notes. In contrast to Homer, Hesiod's voice and play on the role of the poet is clearly demarcated, particularly in his appeal to his brother Perses in Works and Days. Hesiod appears to be attacking Perses' idleness and lack of ambition. But could Hesiod's attack also be aimed at other sections of his society, those people who seek a life of indolence, dependent on hand outs, with little motivation for social responsibility? Hesiod's obvious attention to a strong work ethic, deeply embedded in the agrarian cycle, espouses a moral responsibility for the individual and his neighbours. Perses does not seem to share his brother's values and principles and is duly criticised. In an interesting passage Hesiod details the need for Perses to conform to social conventions, such as not cutting your finger nails during a feast to the gods, sitting on the graves of children or using a `woman's washing water' to cleanse your body. As in all times (take a look at a tabloid newspaper) gossip is seen as destructive but hard to avoid. For Hesiod `Rumour [a divinity] is a dangerous thing, light and easy to pick up, but hard to support and difficult to get rid of.'

As with many civilisations Hesiod conveys a patriarchal view of divine order and social responsibility. For me there is a widely sexist element to this structure and, alongside, for example, the Bible's Eve, women are seen as harbingers of trouble and strife. For instance in Works and Days Hesiod warns against the `arse-rigged woman [who will] deceive your wits with her wily twitterings when she pokes into your granary; he who believes a woman, believes cheaters.' Similarly the consequences of Prometheus' theft of fire from Zeus is the creation of a woman in the form of Pandora, whose jar (not box) is `unstopped' and all man's ills are released for all eternity, the only exception being Hope which remained `under the lip of the jar.' Hesiod's genealogy and moral framework offers an informative insight into the world of ancient Greece.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5.0 out of 5 stars Straight talking - as needed today, 6 Sep 2009
By M.I. "migoe" (Newcastle, UK) - See all my reviews
  
One of the things we can be sure of: Hesiod didn't 'write' this work. There was no European writing in his day (700 BCE or so, we think). It's the everyday life of an early Iron Age farmer, threatened with dispossession by his own brother and bribed magistrates. Doesn't that sound familiar even now? A farmer's life was never easy, and still isn't, and Hesiod explains. Yet, mixed in are references to other aspects of thought: superstition, wise sayings and distrust of authority. Very familiar too, isn't it? This is how Europe began, not with heroes and giants, but with everyday man and his labour.

Theognis (about 600 BCE?) is a different story, but not completely. He had been a wealthy landowner until political exile, for no clear reason. He expects us to know such things, for he's important, he would have you know. But something more about him: his exile hurts badly. He's lost all, and takes refuge in two things: alcohol and his affair with a younger man, Kyrnos. Most of the verse is erotic, directed to Kyrnos himself. Then he drifts off into what can be truly beautiful verse. One passage addresses his loss. I translated him long ago. The lines run (my version): The call of the crow returning, Kyrnos, bring a message to me not of spring arriving/Memories arise of the land, the city which I lost.
Lovely verse - and there's much more (around 1,300 lines in the original), with political, social comment and advice. But be warned: Theognis was far from a nice man. He was bitter and self-important. Was he reinstated? We don't know. One of his lines runs: 'Crush the foolish mob!' Did that view cause his exile, or was it his triumph on return? No-one can say. And that mystery is part of his attraction. Theognis, and Hesiod, haven't left us. We recognise them among us now. Their names have changed, but little else. Read any newspaper.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject


















i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.