Ros King provides a completely new Introduction to the existing text and commentary for this updated edition of The Comedy of Errors. She argues that the play cannot be regarded only as a farcical romp based on a classical model, but should be considered part of a critically misunderstood genre of tragi-comedy. Stressing the play's underlying seriousness, the Introduction pays special attention to its religious imagery. First Edition Hb (1988): 0-521-22153-6 First Edition Pb (1988): 0-521-29368-5

This new edition of Classical Literary Criticism contains the landmarks of ancient literary criticism in accessible and lucid translations. In her Introduction Penelope Murray shows how many of the most fruitful approaches to understanding literature in the Western tradition derive from these canonical texts. Plato is often regarded as the most poetic of the great philosophers, but he mistrusted the god-like power of poets to work on our feelings and famously banished them from his ideal Republic. Aristotle responded by defending the value of art in his Poetics. His analysis of tragedy, with its key concepts of 'mimesis', 'catharsis' and tragic error, has influenced generations of critics from the Renaissance onwards. Horace's Art of Poetry is a vivid practitioner's guide which promotes a style of poetic craftsmanship rooted in wisdom, ethical insight and decorum, while Longinus' remarkable On the Sublime explores the nature of inspiration in poetry and prose. This edition also features a new bibliography and chronology as well as comprehensive notes on each of the texts.