La deriva de los héroes en la literatura griega

From their ancient mythical background, heroes are the protagonists of the great Greek literature. Here Carlos García Gual offers us an original approach to these heroic figures through the various literary genres: from the Homeric epic to the Hellenistic novel. Over many centuries, then, from the epic to the tragedy and the comedy and beyond, the heroic image is presented with new faces, in a very significant drift that goes from its mythical splendor to its twilight in the comic parodies and love and adventure novels. The author analyzes this progressive erosion of the heroic prototype, using striking examples, as a reflection of the historical evolution of Greek society and its ideals and aspirations. If the magnanimous figures of the great heroes already have an emotional humanity in the epic, the theater delves into its tragic adventures. The drift of heroes in Greek literature offers a lucid, suggestive and exciting perspective on one of the great themes of Hellenic culture and its evident historical resonance. García Gual returns here to evoke the Greek heroic world and its unforgettable texts.