The Experiences of Tiresias [Hardcover]

Nicole Loraux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1995

In The Experiences of Tiresias, its title referring to the shepherd struck blind after glimpsing Athena's naked body, Nicole Loraux explores the ambivalence in how the Greek male defines himself in relationship to the feminine. In these essays, Loraux disturbs the idea of virile men and feminine women, a distinction found in official discourse and aimed at protecting the ideals of male identity from any taint of the feminine. Turning to epic and to Socrates, however, she insists on a logic of an inclusiveness between the genders, which casts a shadow over their clear, officially defined borders".Nicole Loraux documents, with delicate sensitivity to text and context, the mobility of the contrast between 'man' and 'the feminine.'... [Her] readings of tragedy are particularly compelling".--Mary Margaret McCabe, The Times Literary Supplement"Loraux is a pioneer in the analysis of gender difference and sexuality in classical Greece. Strongly opposed to polarized interpretations of 'masculine' and 'feminine, ' she illuminates the complex and often contradictory interrelationship of the sexes in real life and in the Greek/Athenian social 'imaginary.'... An essential work of classical scholarship".--Choice

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Loraux is a pioneer in the analysis of gender difference and sexuality in classical Greece. Strongly opposed to polarized interpretations of 'masculine' and 'feminine,' she illuminates the complex and often contradictory interrelationship of the sexes in real life and in the Greek/Athenian social 'imaginary.'... An essential work of classical scholarship." -- Choice

"Nicole Loraux documents, with delicate sensitivity to text and context, the mobility of the contrast between 'man' and 'the feminine.'... [Her] readings of tragedy are particularly compelling." -- Mary Margaret McCabe, The Times Literary Supplement

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr (May 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691029857
• ISBN-13: 978-0691029856
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,131,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.