The symposion is arguably the most significant and well-documented context for the performance, transmission, and criticism of archaic and classical Greek poetry, a distinction attested by its continued hold on the poetic imagination even after its demise as a performance context. The Cup of Song explores the symbiotic relationship of the symposion and poetry throughout Greek literary history, considering the former both as a literal performance context and as an imaginary space pregnant with social, political, and aesthetic implications.
This collection of essays by an...