Ancient Greek Literature

Ancient Greek literature refers to literature written in the Greek language until the fourth century C.E. This period of
Greek literature stretches from Homer until the fourth century C.E. and the rise of Alexander the Great. Notable literary
works during this period were Epic poetry, Lyric poetry, Tragedy, Comedy, Historiography, and Philosophy.

Epic Poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events
significant to a culture or nation. The Iliad, and Odyssey both works of Homer are notable works of this genre.

Lyric Poetry
The type of poetry called lyric got its name from the fact that it was originally sung by individuals or a chorus
accompanied by the lyre.

Tragedy
A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a
consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances, the ending is
unhappy but meaningful. In the age that followed the Greco-Persian Wars, the awakened national spirit of Athens was
expressed in hundreds of superb tragedies based on heroic and legendary themes of the past. The tragic plays grew out
of simple choral songs and dialogues performed at festivals of the god Dionysus.

Comedy
Like tragedy, comedy arose from a ritual in honor of Dionysus, but in this case the plays were full of frank obscenity,
abuse, and insult. At Athens the comedies became an official part of the festival celebration, and prizes were offered for
the best productions.

Historiography
Greece's classical age produced two of the pioneers of history: Herodotus and Thucydides. Herodotus is commonly
called the father of history, and his "History" contains the first truly literary use of prose in Western literature. Of the
two, Thucydides was the better historian by modern standards. His critical use of sources, inclusion of documents, and
laborious research made his History of the Peloponnesian War a significant influence on later generations of historians.

Philosophy
The greatest achievement of the 4th century was in philosophy. There were many Greek philosophers, but three names
tower above the rest: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. It is impossible to calculate the enormous influence these thinkers
have had on Western society. Socrates himself wrote nothing, but his thought (or a reasonable presentation of it) is
believed to be given by Plato's early socratic dialogues. Aristotle is virtually without rivals among scientists and
philosophers.
Ancient Roman Literature

Roman literature was from its very inception influenced heavily by Greek authors. Some of the earliest works we possess
are of historical epics telling the early military history of Rome. As the republic expanded, authors began to produce
poetry, comedy, history, and tragedy.

Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In
satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and
society itself, into improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be funny, its greater purpose is constructive social
criticism, using wit as a weapon.
A common feature of satire is strong irony or sarcasm—"in satire, irony is militant"—but parody, burlesque,
exaggeration, juxtaposition, comparison, analogy, and double entendre are all frequently used in satirical speech and
writing. This "militant" irony or sarcasm often professes to approve (or at least accept as natural) the very things the
satirist wishes to attack.
Satire is nowadays found in many artistic forms of expression, including literature, plays, commentary, and media such
as lyrics.
The Fescennine Songs were the origin of the Satire.