The book highlights the dynamics of changing the concept of small-scale poetic genres represented by texts in Greek from the time of the Antonines to the end of the sixth century. The introduction situates the adopted research profile against current theories and interpretative trends. Individual chapters, written by eminent specialists in the field, take the form of richly exemplified synthetic overviews or selected case studies with regard to the socio-cultural aspects of the poetry under investigation. Much attention is paid to the role of rhetorical factors, as well as to metrical and performative issues, considered from a fresh angle.
