This book is a guide to the extraordinarily diverse literature of the Hellenistic period.* A guide to the literature of the Hellenistic age, from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to the Battle of Actium in 31 BC* Provides overviews of the social, political, intellectual and literary historical contexts in which Hellenistic literature was produced* Introduces the major writers and genres of the period* Provides information about style, meter and languages to aid readers with no prior knowledge of the language in understanding technical aspects of literary Greek* Distinctive in its coverage of current issues in Hellenistic criticism, including audience reception, the political and social background, and Hellenistic theories of literature