scholarship, ancient
scholarship, ancientGreek
In one sense of the term scholarship began when literature became a central element of education and the prescribed texts had to be explained and interpreted to pupils in a class. An early reflex of this activity is the reported invention by Theagenes of Rhegium (late 6th cent. bc) of the allegorical method of interpretation, which could be used to deny the literal meaning of supposedly objectionable passages of Homer. But scholarship, like literary criticism, was slow to develop in the Classical period. In the Peripatos Aristotle and his disciples were not primarily concerned with literature or history, but their discussions of Homer and concern with the chronology of Athenian dramatic festivals was a step forward. Recognizably scholarly work, including the composition of books or pamphlets about literary texts, began early in the 3rd cent. bc in Alexandria...[The entire page is 2118 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
