The anger of Achilles : mê̄nis in Greek epic / Leonard Muellner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Muellner, Leonard (Leonard Charles)

Series:

Myth and poetics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Epic poetry, Greek--History and criticism.

Epic poetry, Greek.

Anger in literature.

Achilles (Mythological character)--In literature.

Achilles.

Mēnis (The Greek word).

Hesiod. Theogony.

Hesiod.

Homer. Iliad.

Homer.

Physical Description:

ix, 219 pages ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First printing, Cornell paperbacks.

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, N.Y. : London : Cornell University Press, 2005.

Summary:

Leonard Muellner's goal is to restore the Greek word for the anger of Achilles, menis, to its social, mythical, and poetic contexts. His point of departure is the anthropology of emotions. He believes that notions of anger vary between cultures and that the particular meaning of a word such as menis needs to emerge from a close study of Greek epic. Menis means more than an individual's emotional response. On the basis of the epic exemplifications of the word, Muellner defines the term as a cosmic sanction against behavior that violates the most basic rules of human society. To understand the way menis functions, Mueller stresses both the power and the danger that accrue to a person who violates such rules. Transgressive behavior has both a creative and a destructive aspect.

Contents:

Introduction: Approaching Anger 1

1 Menis and Cosmic Status in the Hierarchy of Peers 5

2 Menis and the Social Order 32

3 The Narrative Sequence of the Hesiodic Theogony 52

4 The Menis of Achilles and the First Book of the Iliad 94

5 The Menis of Achilles and Its Iliadic Teleology 133

Appendix The Etymology of Menis 177.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

0801432308

9780801432309

0801489954

9780801489952

OCLC:

842500834