In this refreshing volume, we are offered a new perspective on Greek literature, based on the conviction that our present appreciation for it should be informed and influenced by how it was originally perceived. From the earliest surviving Greek poetry to the drama, history, and philosophy of Greece under Roman rule, this book focuses on the "receivers" of Greek literature-the readers, spectators, and audiences who first witnessed the works over two thousand years ago. Six contributors map out the lively and provocative surveys, covering the kinds of literature that have shaped Western culture--epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy, history, philosophy, elegy, satire, biography, and panegyric.