After Antiquity Greek Language, Myth, and Metaphor / Margaret Alexiou.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Alexiou, Margaret.

Series:

Myth and Poetics Series

Myth and poetics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Greek literature, Modern.

Byzantine literature.

Mythology, Greek.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : 2 tables, 1 line drawing, musical examples

Edition:

1st ed.

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2021

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University Press, 2002.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

With the publication of Ritual Lament in Greek Tradition, widely considered a classic in Modern Greek studies and in collateral fields, Margaret Alexiou established herself as a major intellectual innovator on the interconnections among ancient, medieval, and modern Greek cultures. In her new, eagerly awaited book, Alexiou looks at how language defines the contours of myth and metaphor. Drawing on texts from the New Testament to the present day, Alexiou shows the diversity of the Greek language and its impact at crucial stages of its history on people who were not Greek. She then stipulates the relatedness of literary and "folk" genres, and assesses the importance of rituals and metaphors of the life cycle in shaping narrative forms and systems of imagery.Alexiou places special emphasis on Byzantine literary texts of the sixth and twelfth centuries, providing her own translations where necessary; modern poetry and prose of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and narrative songs and tales in the folk tradition, which she analyzes alongside songs of the life cycle. She devotes particular attention to two genres whose significance she thinks has been much underrated: the tales (paramythia) and the songs of love and marriage.In exploring the relationship between speech and ritual, Alexiou not only takes the Greek language into account but also invokes the neurological disorder of autism, drawing on clinical studies and her own experience as the mother of autistic identical twin sons.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

A Note on Transliteration and Translations

Introduction: Forward to the Past

PART I. LANGUAGE

CHAPTER I. Greek Polyglossia: Historical Perspectives

CHAPTER 2. The New Testament and Its Legacy

CHAPTER 3. Nonliterary Genres: Some Private and Public Voices

CHAPTER 4. New Departures in the Twelfth Century

PART II. MYTH

CHAPTER 5. The Diversity of Mythical Genres

CHAPTER 6. Myth in Song

CHAPTER 7. Magic Cycles in the Wondertales

CHAPTER 8. Between Worlds: From Myth to Fiction

PART III. METAPHOR

CHAPTER 9. The Resources of Ritual

CHAPTER 10. Metaphors in Songs of the Life Cycle

CHAPTER 11. Conclusion: Backward to the Present

Appendix: Romanos the Melodist (circa Fifth to Sixth Centuries)

Notes

Key to References for Songs and Tales

Bibliography

INDEXES

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781501720499

150172049X

OCLC:

1083624848