Antique literature. The history of development. Representatives of the era of antiquity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The term "ancient literature" was first introduced by Renaissance humanists, who called the literature of Ancient Greece and Rome that way. The term was retained by these countries and became synonymous with classical antiquity - the world that influenced the formation of European culture.

Periodization of the literature of antiquity

The history of ancient literature is based primarily on the culture of ancient Greece. In this regard, three periods of its development are distinguished.

1. The first period is usually called preclassical or archaic. Literature is represented by oral folk art, which originated due to the religion of the pagans. It includes hymns, spells, stories about the gods, lamentations, proverbs and many other genres that represent folklore. The time frame of the first period cannot be precisely determined. Oral genres have been formed over many centuries, but the approximate time of its end is the first third of the 1st millennium.

2. Antique literature of the second period occupies the 7th - 4th centuries. BC e. It is called classicalhow it coincides with the time of formation in Greece of the classical form of slavery. Numerous lyrical and epic works, as well as prose, appeared during this period, to the development of which orators, philosophers and historians made a huge contribution. Separately, it should be noted the 5th century BC. e., which is called Golden. Theater was central to the literature of this period.

3. The third, Hellenistic period in the history of ancient literature is associated with the development of slavery. With the advent of the military-monarchical form of organization of power, a sharp differentiation of human life occurs, which is fundamentally different from the simplicity of the classical period.

This time is often interpreted as a period of degradation of literature. It distinguishes the stage of early and late Hellenism, which occupy a period of time from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century BC. e. until the 5th century AD e. During this period, Roman ancient literature first made itself known.

Antique mythology

Ancient mythology is based on stories about ancient deities, Olympian gods and heroes.

Legends about the ancient gods appeared among the Greeks and Romans at a time when society was matriarchal. These gods were called chthonic or bestial.

With the advent of patriarchy, the gods began to look more like people. At this time, the image of Zeus or Jupiter appears - the supreme deity who lived on Mount Olympus. This is where the name of the Olympian gods comes from. In the view of the Greeks, these creatures had a rigid hierarchy that justified the same order that existsin society.

The heroes of ancient myths were unusual people who appeared as a result of a connection between mere mortals and the Olympian gods. For example, one of the most famous is Hercules, the son of Zeus and the ordinary woman Alcmene. The Greeks believed that each of the heroes had a special mission: to cleanse the Earth of the monsters that Gaia gave birth to.

Epos

Ancient epic literature is represented by such names as Homer and Virgil.

Homer is a legendary poet who is considered the author of the oldest surviving epic poems - the Iliad and the Odyssey. The sources for the creation of these works were myths, folk songs and legends. Homer's epic poems were written in hexameter.

Virgil is an ancient Roman poet, the author of the legendary epic poem "Aeneid". In it, the author sings of the legendary origin of the Roman people.

Lyrics and drama

One of the most famous representatives of the lyrical genre can be called the poetess Sappho. She used traditional folk motifs, but saturated them with vivid images and strong feelings. The poetess gained wide popularity during her lifetime. Her work included nine books of poetry, but only two poems and a hundred lyrical passages have survived to this day.

Theatrical performances were one of the most popular entertainments of Ancient Greece. The ancient literature of the Golden Age of this trend is presented in two main genres: tragedy and comedy.

In fact, the ancient tragedy was an opera. Its founder is the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. He wrote more than 90 plays, but only seven have survived to this day. One of the most famous tragedies of Aeschylus is "Prometheus Chained", the image of which is still used by writers.

Antique comedy had a political focus. For example, one of the representatives of this genre - Aristophanes - in his comedies "Peace" and "Lysistrata" condemns the war between Greece and Sparta. The comedy The Riders savagely criticizes the shortcomings of the democracy that has taken shape in Athens.

The birth of the prose genre

The list of ancient literature in the genre of prose is represented primarily by Plato's dialogues. The content of these works is presented through the reasoning and dispute of two interlocutors who must find the truth. The main character of Plato's dialogues was his teacher Socrates. This form of presenting information is called "Socratic dialogue".

There are 30 known dialogues of Plato. The most famous of them are the myth of Atlantis, "Feast", "Phaedo", "Phaedrus".