Heroes: A History of Hero Worship

Zusatztext “One of the many virtues of Heroes is that it values the attraction of monumental history while underscoring its dangers. . . . An enthralling book that achieves a felicitous compromise between skepticism and wonder.” – The Wall Street Journal “Wonderful. . . . A great treat. . . . Gloriously packed with meaningful curiosities! the kinds of things that make a historical moment flash into being.” – The Washington Post Book World “Authoritative. . . . Artful. . . . [Hughes-Hallett] achieves a balanced and well-assessed survey! with nimble wit! wide knowledge and what seems like peerless insight.” – San Francisco Chronicle “Hughes-Hallett is a wonderful writer and these stories—often-byzantine narratives of reversals and comebacks! schemes and counterschemes—are carried by the graceful vigor of her prose. . . . Thrilling and captivating.” – The Wilson Quarterly Informationen zum Autor Lucy Hughes-Hallett is a critic for The Sunday Times (London) and the author of Cleopatra: Histories, Dreams and Distortions . She lives in London with her husband and daughter, and is at work on a book about Gabriele d'Annunzio and the origins of Italian fascism. Klappentext Beginning beneath the walls of Troy and culminating in 1930s Europe! a magisterial exploration of the nature of heroism in Western civilization. In this riveting and insightful cultural history! Lucy Hughes-Hallett brings to life eight exceptional men from history and myth to explore our timeless need for heroes. As she re-creates these extraordinary lives! Hughes-Hallett illuminates the attractions and dangers of hero worship. This is a fascinating book about dictatorship and democracy! seduction and mass hysteria! politics and culture! and the tensions between being good and being great. Leseprobe I ACHILLES Homer’s Troy. Achilles, paragon of warriors, consents to enter the fight. Ready for battle in the armor made for him by the smith god Hephaestus, he glitters like the sun. His teeth grind, his eyes flash fire. With a voice as plangent as a trumpet’s he calls out to his immortal horses which no other man can master and one of them replies. Yes, says the beast, this time the team will bring their master safely back to the Greek camp, but the day of his death already hovers near and when it comes, even were they to have the speed and power of the west wind, they would not be able to save him: “You are doomed to die violently, Achilles.” Achilles’ reply is impatient: “Don’t waste your breath, I know, well I know.” With a terrifying yell he sends his chariot hurtling into the front line. Of all the warriors who fight at Troy Achilles is the only one who is bound to die there. He is not courting risk: he is confronting certainty, and he himself must take responsibility for his own end. His mother, the goddess Thetis, has told him of the two destinies between which he must chose. He can stay peaceably in his father’s house, and if he does so his life will be long and fruitful. He can marry and have children. He can use his wealth and amass more. He can exploit his strength and exercise his intellect. He can inherit and rule his father’s kingdom, enjoying the satisfactions of power and, in due time, the respect accorded to an elder. Or he can fight. If he chooses the latter he will be killed before the war’s end, but first he will win such glory that his name will live in song forevermore. He chooses death, buying immortality at the cost of his life. And so he becomes the paradigmatic hero, one whose traits and actions are echoed, with infinite variations, in the life stories of subsequent heroes both legendary and actual. His beauty, his swiftness and ferocity, his unrivaled talent for killing his fellow men, his uncompromising commitment both to honesty and to honor and,...

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Lucy Hughes-Hallett
• Editore: Anchor Books USA
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 05.12.2006
• EAN: 9781400079797
• ISBN: 978-1-4000-7979-7
• Pagine: 528
• Dimensioni: 132 mm x 202 mm x 28 mm
• Categoria: Saggistica