Plato and Hesiod

It hardly needs repeating that Plato defined philosophy partly by contrast with the work of the poets. What is extraordinary is how little systematic exploration there has been of his relationship with specific poets other than Homer. This neglect extends even to Hesiod, though Hesiod is of central importance for the didactic tradition quite generally, and is a major source of imagery at crucial moments of Plato's thought. This volume, which presents fifteen articles by specialists on the area, will be the first ever book-length study dedicated to the subject. It covers a wide variety of thematic angles, brings new and sometimes surprising light to a large range of Platonic dialogues, and represents a major contribution to the study of the reception of archaic poetry in Athens.

1 - Shepherd, Farmer, Poet, Sophist: Hesiod on his own reception
2 - Hesiod and Plato's History of Philosophy
3 - Plato's Hesiod: An Acquired Taste?
4 - Hesiod in Plato: Second Fiddle to Homer?
5 - Plato's Hesiod: Not Plato's Alone
6 - Hesiod in Classical Athens: Rhapsodes, Orators, and Platonic Discourse
7 - Plato's Two Hesiods
8 - The Seductions of Hesiod: Pandora's Presence in Plato's Symposium
9 - Hesiod's Races and Your Own': Socrates' 'Hesiodic' Project
10 - Plato's Hesiod and the Will of Zeus: Philosophical Rhapsody in the Timaeus and the Critias
11 - Chaos Corrected: Hesiod in Plato's Creation Myth
12 - Hesiod's Theogony and Plato's Timaeus
13 - Hesiod in the Timaeus: The Demiurge Addresses the Gods
14 - Hesiod, Plato, and the Golden Age: Hesiodic Motifs in the Myth of the Politicus
15 - On Grey-Haired Babies: Plato, Hesiod, and Visions of the Past (and Future)

G. R. Boys-Stones is Senior Lecturer in Classics, Durham University. Johannes Haubold is Leverhulme Senior Lecturer in Greek Literature, Durham University.