Synopses & Reviews
The Argonautica is the dramatic story of Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece and his relations with the dangerous princess Medea. The only surviving Greek epic to bridge the gap between Homer and late antiquity, this epic poem is the crowning literary achievement of the Ptolemaic court at Alexandria, written by Appolonius of Rhodes in the third century BC. Appollonius explores many of the fundamental aspects of life in a highly original way: love, deceit, heroism, human ignorance of the divine, and the limits of science, and offers a gripping and sometimes disturbing tale in the process. This major new prose translation combines readability with accuracy and an attention to detail that will appeal to general readers and classicists alike.
Review
"Hunter's edition has a good introduction and useful notes."--Richard Mason, George Mason University
"The volume marks an important step forward for the study of Apollonius by those without access to it in Greek."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"Excellent translation! Really captures the feel of Alexandrian court in the introduction."--David R. Nix, University of Houston
Synopsis
This is a new translation of the only extant Greek epic poem to bridge the gap between Homer and late antiquity. A major critical re-evaluation of the poem is now under way among classicists and scholars in the field of comparative literature. This volume offers the first scholarly translation
into English for many years, combining readability with accuracy and an attention to detail that will be helpful to readers both with and without Greek. The explanatory notes and accompanying maps provide all necessary background information to enjoy the poem, while a comprehensive introductory
essay situates the poem in its cultural and historical context.