Oppian's Halieutica: Charting a Didactic Epic

Oppian's Halieutica is a Greek didactic poem about the sea and its inhabitants, offering a sustained reading of the poem as a didactic epic that meditates on the place of human beings within the cosmos. It examines the literary texture, cultural relevance, and contribution to imperial Greek literary, political, and cultural debates.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 467 pages
Publication date: 10 March 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Oppian's Halieutica is a captivating five-book Greek didactic poem that delves into the enigmatic world of the sea and its mischievous, unpredictable inhabitants. This remarkable work presents the first comprehensive analysis of the poem as a didactic epic, exploring the profound themes of human existence within the vast cosmos and the valuable lessons we can glean from the behavior of fish. Through a meticulous combination of close reading and broader interpretative lenses, this book examines the intricate literary texture and cultural significance of the Halieutica. It scrutinizes its sophisticated refraction of earlier literary-critical theories and hexameter traditions, its insightful commentary on human-animal relations, and its invaluable contribution to imperial Greek literary, political, and cultural debates. By demonstrating the significance and cultural centrality of this understudied Greek didactic epic, this book is intended for students and scholars of imperial Greek literature and culture, as well as those with an interest in ancient heroic and didactic epics and the intricate dynamics between humans and animals in the ancient world.

Weight: 660g
Dimension: 152 x 227 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108744041
Edition number: New ed