Volume 24, Number 4 · March 17, 1977
Glorifying the Archaic
By Seth Benardete
Early Greek Poetry and Philosophy
by Hermann Fränkel, translated by Moses Hadas, by James Willis
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 555 pp., $25.00
With the publication in 1903 of Diehl's collection of the pre-Socratics, an idea of the independent grandeur of the 'archaic' period of Greek literature (ca. 650-450 BC), distinct both from the epic period of Homer and Hesiod and from the classical age, came into its own. The archaic age of Sappho, Pindar, and Archilochus was not only recognized as a distinct tradition but was thought to represent particular and admirable values in art, literature, and philosophy. It was also at the turn of the century that archaic sculpture was appreciated for the first time and the reputations of classical sculptors like Phidias (fifth century) and naturalist sculptors like Praxiteles (fourth century) suffered a commensurate decline.
Review, 3955 words
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