Discovering Gilgamesh : geology, narrative and the historical sublime in Victorian culture / Vybarr Cregan-Reid.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cregan-Reid, Vybarr., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Smith, George, 1840-1876.

Smith, George.

Gilgamesh.

Assyro-Babylonian poetry--History and criticism.

Assyro-Babylonian poetry.

Literature and society--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Literature and society.

Great Britain.

Genre:

History

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource ( xii, 238 pages) : illustrations; digital file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Manchester, UK : Manchester University Press, 2015.

Language Note:

In English.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

data file

Summary:

In 1872, a young archaeologist at the British Museum made a tremendous discovery. While he was working his way through a Mesopotamian 'slush pile', George Smith, a self-taught expert in ancient languages, happened upon a Babylonian version of Noah's Flood. His research suggested this 'Deluge Tablet' pre-dated the writing of Genesis by a millennium or more. Smith went on to translate what later became 'The Epic of Gilgamesh', perhaps the oldest and most complete work of literature from any culture. Against the backdrop of innovative readings of a range of paintings, novels, histories and photographs, this work demonstrates the Gordian complexity of the Victorians' relationship with history, while also seeking to highlight the Epic's role in influencing models of time in late-Victorian geology.

Contents:

DISCOVERING GILGAMESH: GEOLOGY, NARRATIVE AND THE HISTORICAL SUBLIME IN VICTORIAN CULTURE; Half Title Page; Title Page ; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; List of figures; Acknowledgements; Part I: Gilgamesh; Introduction; 1. Discovering Gilgamesh; Part II: Narrative and the historical sublime; 2. Capturing time: the iconography of water in painting and photography; 3. Forgetting the past and the future: Macaulay, Carlyle, and the 'shoreless chaos' of history; 4. Present endings: rethinking closure in the Victorian novel; Part III: Geology, Gilgamesh, and the historical sublime.

5. Conclusion: Gilgamesh and the resublimation of deep timeSelect bibliography; Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print record.

ISBN:

9781781706466

1781706468

9781526102379

1526102374

OCLC:

929814141