Lesbian Desire in the Lyrics of Sappho (Between Men~Between Women: Lesbian and Gay Studies) [Hardcover]

Jane McIntosh Snyder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0231099940 | ISBN-13: 978-0231099943 | Edition: First

This is the first book to examine Sappho's poetry through the lens of lesbian desire. Snyder provides close readings of the surviving examples of Sappho's poetry, occasionally presenting comparative material from other ancient Greek poets. The original Greek text is included in an appendix.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"What emerges in this careful and engaging study is an explication of Sappho's work and its literary environment, which illuminates both Sappho and the ways she has been read, adopted, and co-opted over the centuries. Without polemics, and with scrupulous candor and fidelity to the originals, Snyder allows even those readers who are, as she puts it, 'Greekless' to find their connection with the vitality of the words and the poems, which often exist on the page in only the most fragmentary form. By returning often to the bits of text that contain key words and phrases, Snyder actually succeeds in intimating poems where only hints remain." -- "Choice"

Review

Snyder offers a comprehensive treatment of Sappho's poetry for the Greekless reader, including transliterations and translations of the Greek. She elucidates Sappho's representation of female desire and her influence on modern American women poets.

(Helene Foley, author of Homeric Hymn to Demeter )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; First edition (March 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231099940
• ISBN-13: 978-0231099943
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,771,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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