Prisoner of History - Aspasia of Miletus and Her Biographical Tradition

Zusatztext This work is to be commended for its thorough and scholarly analysis of the standard texts, and also for its more open approach to the less academic works. It should have a wide appeal, attracting readers with an interest in various disciplines, including classics, feminist studies and the history of biography. Klappentext According to legend! Aspasia of Miletus was a courtesan! the teacher of Socrates! and the political adviser of her lover Pericles. Next to Sappho and Cleopatra! she is the best known woman of the ancient Mediterranean. Yet continued uncritical reception of her depiction in Attic comedy and naive acceptance of Plutarch's account of her in his Life of Pericles prevent us from understanding who she was and what her contributions to Greek thought may have been. In the first study of its type! Madeleine Henry combines traditional philological and historical methods of analysis with feminist critical perspectives in order to trace the construction of Aspasia's biographical tradition from ancient times to the present. Through her analysis of both literary and historical evidence! Henry determines the ways in which Aspasia has become an icon of the sexually attractive and politically influential female! how this construction has prevented her from taking her rightful place as a contributor to the philosophical enterprise! and how continued belief in this icon has helped sexualize all women's intellectual achievements. An important corrective to the historical literature on Aspasia of Miletus! Prisoner of History will interest scholars in a wide range of disciplines! including classics! ancient history! philosophy! and women's studies. Zusammenfassung Aspasia of Miletus, next to Sappho and Cleopatra, is one of the best known women of the classical world. This study traces the construction of Aspasia's biographical tradition and shows how it has prevented her from taking her rightful place as a contributor to the ancient world....

Product details

• Authors: Madeleine M. Henry, Madeleine M. (Associate Professor of Classi Henry, Madeleine M. (Associate Professor of Classical Studies Henry, Madeleine Mary Henry, Henry Madeleine M.
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 20.07.1995
• EAN: 9780195087123
• ISBN: 978-0-19-508712-3
• No. of pages: 208
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Non-fiction book > History > Biographies, autobiographies; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Women, European History, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, Biography: historical, political & military, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies, HISTORY / Europe / General, HISTORY / Asia / General, Ancient Greece, HISTORY / Ancient / Greece, HISTORY / Women, Ancient History, Asian History, Gender studies: women, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Gender studies: women and girls, Biography: historical, political and military