'Characteristic of this book is its uncompromising refusal to present simple answers to difficult questions. (...) This consistent refusal to reduce complex theory to simple oppositions or blunt summaries results in a book that is not always easy to read. Halliwell demands his reader to work as hard as he himself does when reading and rereading his Greek authors. We must be grateful, however, that such an astute reader as Halliwell opens our eyes for under-appreciated nuances and ambiguities in the ancient texts, some of which have indeed far-reaching implications. In drawing attention to the continuous interaction between the values of ecstasy and truth, his detailed discussions cast new light on many familiar passages of Greek criticism. One of the most important achievements of this book is the fact that it corrects the oversimplified interpretations of earlier scholars, replacing them with innovative readings that respect the complexity and richness of the Greek texts. In recent years one can observe a certain tendency in classical scholarship to limit the number of references to earlier publications in the same field. Fortunately, Halliwell does not follow this questionable fashion. One of the merits of this book is that each chapter reviews and discusses the interpretations of many scholars, so that the reader is always able to follow the debate and to form his own opinion. This book is therefore not only an excellent study of Greek poetics, but also an admirable model of uncompromising scholarship.' (CASPER C. DE JONGE in : Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2013.07.20).