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Books > Language & Literature > Literature: texts > Essays, journals, letters & other prose works > Classical, early & medieval
Women's mobility is central to understanding cultural constructions
of gender. Regarding ancient cultures, including ancient Greece, a
re-evaluation of women's mobility within the household and beyond
it is currently taking place. This invites an informed analysis of
female mobility in Greek myth, under the premise that myth may open
a venue to social ideology and the imaginary. Female Mobility and
Gendered Space in Ancient Greek Myth offers the first comprehensive
analysis of this topic. It presents close readings of ancient
texts, engaging with feminist thought and the 'mobility turn'. A
variety of Olympian goddesses and mortal heroines are explored, and
the analysis of their myths follows specific chronological
considerations. Female mobility is presented in quite diverse ways
in myth, reflecting cultural flexibility in imagining mobile
goddesses and heroines. At the same time, the out-of-doors spaces
that mortal heroines inhabit seem to lack a public or civic
quality, with the heroines being contained behind 'glass walls'. In
this respect, myth seems to reproduce the cultural limitations of
ancient Greek social ideology on mobility, inviting us to reflect
not only on the limits of mythic imagination but also on the
timelessness of Greek myth.
Alexander the Great (356-333 BC) was to capture the imagination of
his contemporaries and future generations. His image abounds in
various cultures and literatures - Eastern and Western - and spread
around the globe through oral and literary media at an astonishing
rate during late antiquity and the early Islamic period. The first
Iskandarnama, or 'The Book of Alexander', now held in a private
collection in Tehran, is the oldest prose version of the Alexander
romance in the Persian tradition. Thought to have been written at
some point between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries by an
unknown author, the lively narrative recasts Alexander as Iskandar,
a Muslim champion - a king and prophet, albeit flawed but heroic,
and remarkably appropriated to Islam, though the historic Alexander
lived and died some 1,000 years before the birth of the faith. This
new English translation of the under-studied text is the first to
be presented unabridged and sheds fresh light onto the shape and
structure of this vital document.In so doing it invites a
reconsideration of the transformation of a Western historical
figure - and one-time mortal enemy of Persia - into a legendary
hero adopted by Iranian historiographic myth-making. Evangelos
Venetis, the translator, also offers a textual analysis, providing
much-needed context and explanations on both content and subsequent
reception. This landmark publication will be invaluable to students
and scholars of classical Persian literature, ancient and medieval
history and Middle East studies, as well as to anyone studying the
Alexander tradition.
Agamemnon is the first of the three plays within the Oresteia
trilogy and is considered to be one of Aeschylus' greatest works.
This collection of 12 essays, written by prominent international
academics, brings together a wide range of topics surrounding
Agamemnon from its relationship with ancient myth and ritual to its
modern reception. There is a diverse array of discussion on the
salient themes of murder, choice and divine agency. Other essays
also offer new approaches to understanding the notions of wealth
and the natural world which imbue the play, as well as a study of
the philosophical and moral questions of choice and revenge.
Arguments are contextualized in terms of performance, history and
society, discussing what the play meant to ancient audiences and
how it is now received in the modern theatre. Intended for readers
ranging from school students and undergraduates to teachers and
those interested in drama (including practitioners), this volume
includes a performer-friendly and accessible English translation by
David Stuttard.
Lysistrata is the most notorious of Aristophanes' comedies. First
staged in 411 BCE, its action famously revolves around a sex strike
launched by the women of Greece in an attempt to force their
husbands to end the war. With its risque humour, vibrant battle of
the sexes, and themes of war and peace, Lysistrata remains as
daring and thought-provoking today as it would have been for its
original audience in Classical Athens. Aristophanes: Lysistrata is
a lively and engaging introduction to this play aimed at students
and scholars of classical drama alike. It sets Lysistrata in its
social and historical context, looking at key themes such as
politics, religion and its provocative portrayal of women, as well
as the play's language, humour and personalities, including the
formidable and trailblazing Lysistrata herself. Lysistrata has
often been translated, adapted and performed in the modern era and
this book also traces the ways in which it has been re-imagined and
re-presented to new audiences. As this reception history reveals,
Lysistrata's appeal in the modern world lies not only in its racy
subject matter, but also in its potential to be recast as a
feminist, pacifist or otherwise subversive play that openly
challenges the political and social status quo.
This volume provides a detailed, lemmatic, literary commentary on
Demosthenes' speech Against Androtion. It is the first study of its
kind since the nineteenth century, filling a significant gap in
modern scholarship. The Greek text of the speech is accompanied by
a facing English translation, making the work more accessible to a
wide scholarly audience. It also includes an extensive introduction
covering key historical, socio-political, and legal issues. The
speech was delivered in a graphe paranomon (a public prosecution
for introducing an illegal decree) which was brought against
Androtion, a well-established Athenian public speaker and
intellectual. Demosthenes composed Against Androtion for Diodoros,
the supporting speaker in this trial and an active political figure
in the mid-fourth century. In her commentary, Ifigeneia Giannadaki
illuminates the legal, socio-political, and historical aspects of
the speech, including views on male prostitution and the
relationship between sex and politics, complex aspects of Athenian
law and procedure, and Athenian politics in the aftermath of the
Social War. Giannadaki balances the analysis of important
historical and legal issues with a special emphasis on elucidating
Demosthenes' rhetorical strategy and argumentation.
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