Having been abandoned by a mysterious man she'd met on the Yugoslavian island of Korchula, Miranda is set on a course of loneliness, pent-up passion, and longing. When she sets foot on Crete, her fortunes begin to change, as she is caught up in the web spun by the Serbian actress Divna, and her estranged husband, Dionysios. Following the steps of mythological Greek characters, this triangle of lust and passion heads toward both ecstasy and tragedy.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Sharon Spencer's "Dance of the Ariadnes" is a dazzling foray into the mysteries of myth as experienced by two very modern women whose excitement and suspenseful yearnings swell with each unfolding chapter. Readers will delight in the sequences of dream, reverie, and reality, intricately knit together in a unique poetics of eroticism.
Mysteries in general, Aristotle wrote, were not intended to teach a doctrine, but to be felt. Spencer's "Dance of the Ariadnes" is just that--a feast for the senses. Esoteric in nature, the word "mystery" stems from the Greek word meaning "I make enter"; the intention being to open the door, to make accessible what has been lying hidden or buried in darkness. Spencer's concretization of the elusive in the word, while arresting space and time, never profanes the sacred! -- Bettina L. Knapp, Hunter College, CUNY.
About the Author
Sharon Spencer, a native of Nebraska, is Professor of Comparative Literature at Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, and author of "Collage of Dreams: The Writings of Anais Nin," and the novel "The Space Between." She has spent a good deal of time on the islands of the Adriatic and Aegean Seas, where her "Dance of the Ariadnes" is set.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Masterful Blending of Myth and Reality,
By Diana F. Von Behren "reneofc" (Kenner, LA USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Dance of the Ariadnes (Paperback)
Sharon Spencer's novel "Dance of the Ariadnes" tackles the complexities of modern relationships by juxtaposing the lives and desires of two creative women, a Slavic actress, Divna, and a confused American artist, Miranda with the cycle of Greek myths involving Ariadne, Dionysus, Theseus, Phaedra and Hippolytus. Divna has yet to recover from her tempestuous yet now semi-defunct relationship with ex-husband Gypsy folk singer, Dionysios. Miranda, living and painting on Korchula, a small island off the coast of Yugoslavia is confused by the emotions and passions generated from a recent love affair with Dionysios whom she does not know by name, but thinks is a primitive islander. The two women who are otherwise strangers, meet in Iraklion near King Minos' fabled labyrintine palace; symbolically they dance together on what they think is the dancing-floor of Minos' daughter, Ariadne, and bond as only two women can. As dual faces of the mortal woman turned goddess, they unravel and analyze their snaggled feelings regarding Dioynysios. Simultaneously, they form klews containing the threads of their own existence which enable and enpower them to wind through the Labyrinth of their future lives. Throughout the novel, the women change faces. Miranda is always Ariadne, at once abandoned by Theseus and thus captivated and immortalized by the god Dionysus (the symphonic and colorful gypsy wedding). Earthy Divna also personifies Ariadne; but it is she who abandons, she who is most generous with her love and understanding of the passions of the others around her. She toys with love; her boy-toys are numerous, yet, she is also imprisoned by Dionysus--she has his children and carries yet another child. Towards the end of the novel, she becomes Phaedra, Ariadne's sister and wife of Theseus. As in the myth, she becomes irrationally enamoured by Gerard--Hippolytus, Theseus son by the Amazon Antiope, but the association has no happy ending,Phaedra/Divna/Ariadne emerges from the experience (an intense water sequence reminiscient of the 'white bull' death of Hippolytus) still carrying her child and her memories. The flow of the novel is quick and light. The reader senses the passion of both women in the erotic dream, reverie and reality sequences which never bore. The novel always intrigues and teases; the reader is curious about both women and the man that touches both their lives. Spenser succeeds admirably in creating a sense of the unknown and mythical that needs not be explained only savored and enjoyed. Would love to discuss this novel with someone who has read some of Spencer's other works or had the privledge of hearing her lecture.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great story for those who like an INTERESTING novel,
This review is from: Dance of the Ariadnes (Paperback)
Without giving it all away (like the previous reviewer) I'd like to just say that this "novel" gives the reader a good, if not unlikely, insight into the real feel of ancient Greek polytheistic traditions. Spencer carefully and seamlessly weaves fiction and myth in what should be a national bestseller. Definitely recommended for anyone with a 3-digit I.Q.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
