Date: 19 12 2014
 
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Stesichorus
(Mataurus, Italy, ca. 632 BC - ca. 553 BC)
 
StesichorusStesichorus was a Greek lyric poet, one of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece. Little is known about him. As "Stesichorus" actually means "Chorus Master" it probably was not his name but his title. It is believed that his real name might have been Tisias. He wrote in the Doric dialect. Although he was influenced by Homer and wrote some narrative poems with mythical themes, he was more known for his erotic paideia and paidika works, songs of boy love. He was very imaginative and creative, which brought him the status of celebrity, probably the first literary celebrity in history of literature. His songs, accompanied by choir or a solo singer and a flute attracted by topics and innovation.

Forerunners of Hellenistic romantic poetry, he was the first to write pastorals. He was also an inventor of the choral "heroic hymn" and antistrophe of a palinode or palinody, an apologizing ode. After he wrote in one poem that the Trojan War was all the fault of Helen, he wrote in another one to retract this statement, which started a new fashion in verse writing. He is traditionally credited with inventing the triad: three stanza metrical groupings, which were later used in verses and Athenian stage dramas: strophe: turn, antistrophe: counterturn, and epodos: after song.
 

Major works (known today):
 
The Wooden Horse
The Capture of Troy
Homecoming
Oresteia
 
 
 
 
 

 
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