Exploring Greek Myth

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John Wiley & Sons, Mar 2, 2012 - Literary Criticism - 224 pages
Exploring Greek Myth offers an extensive discussion of variant forms of myths and lesser-known stories, including important local myths and local versions of PanHellenic myths. Clark also discusses approaches to understanding myths, allowing students to gain an appreciation of the variety in one volume.

  • Guides students from an introductory understanding of myths to a wide-ranging exploration of current scholarly approaches on mythology as a social practice and as an expression of thought
  • Written in an informal conversational style appealing to students by an experienced lecturer in the field
  • Offers extensive discussion of variant forms of myths and many lesser known, but deserving, stories
  • Investigates a variety of approaches to the study of myth including: the sources of our knowledge of Greek myth, myth and ritual in ancient Greek society, comparative myth, myth and gender, hero cult, psychological interpretation of myth, and myth and philosophy
  • Includes suggestions in each chapter for essays and research projects, as well as extensive lists of books and articles for further reading
  • The author draws on the work of many leading scholars in the field in his exploration of topics throughout the text
 

Contents

Six Hundred Gods
15
Homers Beauty Pageant
30
Pelops Shoulder
43
The Bones of Orestes
68
The Judgment of Paris
97
Boys in Dresses Brides with Beards
111
Agamemnons Mask? Myth and History
126
Orestes on Trial
140
Plato and the Poets
154
Conclusion
168
References
179
Index
187
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About the author (2012)

MATTHEW CLARK is Associate Professor of Ancient Greek Literature and Culture in the Department of Humanities at York University in Toronto. His previous publications include Out of Line: Homeric Composition Beyond the Hexameter (1997), A Matter of Style: Writing and Technique (2002), and Narrative Structures and the Language of the Self (2010).

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