 Books 2 and 3 of the Republic assess poetry’s role in the curriculum for the city’s guardian class. The first part of this passage, mainly in Book 2, condemns the images of gods and demigods that Homer and the tragedians have produced, both blaspheming and setting bad examples to the young (377e–392c). After this criticism of content Socrates turns to what he labels the “style [lexis]” of narration. Poetic narration can take place through narration alone, through mimêsis alone, or with a mix of the two (392d).