The Classical Tradition

The classical tradition the legacy of Ancient Greece and Rome is a large, diverse and important field that continues to shape human endeavour and engender wide public interest. The Classical Tradition: Art, Literature, Thought presents an original, coherent and wide-ranging guide to the afterlife of Greco-Roman antiquity in later Western cultures and a ground-breaking reinterpretation of large aspects of Western culture as a whole English-speaking, French, German and Italian from a classical perspective. Encompassing almost two millennia of developments in art, literature, and thought, the authors provide an overview of the field, a concise point of reference, and a critical review of selected examples, from Titian to T. S. Eliot, from the hero to concepts of government. They engage in current theoretical debate on various fronts, from hermeneutics to gender. Themes explored include the Western languages and their continuing engagement with Latin and Greek; the role of translation; the intricate relationship of pagan and Christian; the ideological implications of the classical tradition; the interplay between the classical tradition and the histories of scholarship and education; the relation between high and low culture; and the myriad complex relationships comparative, contrastive, and interactive between art, literature, and thought themselves. Authoritative and accessible, The Classical Tradition: Art, Literature, Thought offers new insights into the powerful legacy of the ancient world from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present day.

The classical tradition--the legacy of Ancient Greece andRome--is a large, diverse and important field that continuesto shape human endeavour and engender wide public interest. TheClassical Tradition: Art, Literature, Thought presents anoriginal, coherent and wide-ranging guide to the afterlife ofGreco-Roman antiquity in later Western cultures and aground-breaking reinterpretation of large aspects of Westernculture as a whole - English-speaking, French, German andItalian - from a classical perspective. Encompassing almosttwo millennia of developments in art, literature, and thought, theauthors provide an overview of the field, a concise point ofreference, and a critical review of selected examples, from Titianto T. S. Eliot, from the hero to concepts of government. Theyengage in current theoretical debate on various fronts, fromhermeneutics to gender.Themes explored include the Western languages and theircontinuing engagement with Latin and Greek; the role oftranslation; the intricate relationship of pagan and Christian; theideological implications of the classical tradition; the interplaybetween the classical tradition and the histories of scholarshipand education; the relation between high and low culture; and themyriad complex relationships--comparative, contrastive, andinteractive--between art, literature, and thought themselves.Authoritative and accessible, The Classical Tradition: ArtLiterature, Thought offers new insights into the powerfullegacy of the ancient world from the Middle Ages and theRenaissance to the present day.

List of Figures viiList of Plates viiiPrologue ixAcknowledgements xiiiPart I Overview 1
1 The Classical Tradition and the Scope of Our Book 3
2 Mapping the Field 10
3 Eras 15
4 Sustaining the Tradition: Classics and Education 32
5 Authority and Authorities 52
6 Masters of Knowledge 61
7 Models of Style 69
8 Beacons of Morality 79
9 Love Guides 87
10 Special Relationships 98
11 The Visual Arts: Contexts and Connections 102
12 Popular Culture and Its Problematics 119
13 Languages and Language 137
14 Modes of Engagement 166
15 Translation 173
16 Science and Sensibility 199
17 Looking at the Past 224
18 The Classical Tradition - and the Rest 241Part II Archetypes 249
19 Preface 251
20 The Dome 253
21 The Hero 263
22 Word-Genres 276Part III The Imaginary 287
23 Preface 289
24 Myth 292
25 The City: Rome 306
26 Forms of Government 322
27 The Order of Things 331Part IV Making a Difference 341
28 Preface 343
29 Originators 346
30 Points of Departure 358
31 Ideas and Action 375Part V Contrasts and Comparisons 391
32 Preface 393
33 Painting 394
34 Political Thought 402
35 Poetry 411Epilogue 428Bibliography 432Index 475