This book focuses on the hymns, mimes and erotic poems of the Greek poet Theocritus, and examines how Theocritus uses the traditions of earlier Greek poetry to recreate past forms in a way that exploits the new conditions under which poetry was written in the third century BC. Recent papyri have greatly increased our understanding of how Theocritus read archaic poetry, and these new discoveries are fully drawn on in a set of readings that will change the way we look at Hellenistic poetry. "The book is well written and excellently researched." N.J. Nicholson, Vhoice "...Hunter's book is rich in insights and individual observations. This book is a serious and insight-laden piece of scholarship that will reward careful study by anyone interested in Hellenistic poetry...Hunter's book provides a useful case study for the interaction of literary qppropriation and generic experimentation in one of that period's best preserved poets." International Journal of the Classical Tradition This book focuses on the hymns, mimes and erotic poems of the Greek poet Theocritus.