Perhaps for no other period of ancient Greek literature have the theoretical discussions of our time brought forth as many new approaches to the literary works from Homer to Euripides as for the centuries that this volume precisely covers. The question that best summarizes the various theoretical approaches that have marked the discussions of recent decades is the question of "place in life," that is, the question regarding the socio-historical contexts that shaped the literary forms during the archaic and classical periods.

A peculiarity of ancient Greek literature lies in the fact that it begins, in a way, with a bang, that is, with the epics of Homer and Hesiod, which decisively influenced later literature beyond the boundaries of any genre. Homer and Hesiod became the literary fathers, the teachers of the Greeks. As bearers of tradition and the value system, they transmitted knowledge about the gods and humans and, with their prestige, provoked reactions, which in turn led to allegorical efforts for their preservation. The Homeric epics are somehow present in every literary form of the archaic and classical period, in lyrical and dramatic poetry, in historiography, and philosophy.

The literature of the archaic and classical periods, which this volume addresses, cannot be properly understood without considering the institutional framework within which it is produced, received, and transmitted. Every "performance" of epic and lyrical poetry was integrated both into the festive culture of the aristocracy and into the major Panhellenic games, as well as into all sorts of cultic events. The collapse of Athens in 404 BC, the death of Socrates in 399 BC, and the political crisis that followed contributed to the emergence of prose genres in the early 4th century.

The reflection prompted by the political decline of Athens and the death sentence of a man like Socrates spurred, on one hand, theoretical approaches regarding the institution of the state and, on the other hand, the formation of the Socratic works and, consequently, the emergence of philosophical literature and the dialogue form. In this new phase of ancient Greek literature, prose flourishes.