Imagining Men

"Over the last few decades classical scholars have done much to improve our understanding of the role of women in ancient Greek life. Now Professor Van Nortwick's fine book provides a complementary study of how men fitted within that society, at different ages, in war and in peace, in marriage and in religion. His detailed elucidations of literature and myth, founded on years of research and teaching, are valuable in themselves and give an excellent guide to the attitude of the Greeks to the male gender role." -- Mark W. Edwards, Emeritus Professor of Classics, Stanford University "With a longtime teacher's thoughtfulness and skill, Van Nortwick tracks still urgent human issues through the testing-grounds of ancient Greek epic and tragedy. Do young men grow to maturity by listening to 'mentors'? Or by testing their limits, painfully and sometimes destructively, in the face of mortality? Can they reconcile the demands of competition and community? Integrate feminine traits with masculine? Exercise new power and authority out of the pitiful weakness of old age?" -- Kenneth J. Reckford, Kenan Professor of Classics, Emeritus, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Examines how the ancient Greeks understood the meaning of a man's life. Exploring models for masculinity as they appear in major works of Greek literature, this book combines literary, historical, and psychological insights to examine how the ancient Greeks understood the meaning of a man's life.Exploring models for masculinity as they appear in major works of Greek literature, this book combines literary, historical, and psychological insights to examine how the ancient Greeks understood the meaning of a man's life. The thoughts and actions of Achilles, Odysseus, Oedipus, and other enduring characters from Greek literature reflect the imperatives that the ancient Greeks saw as governing a man's life as he moved from childhood to adult maturity to old age. Because the Greeks believed that men (as opposed to women) were by nature the proper agents of human civilization within the larger order of the universe, examining how the Greeks thought that a man ought to live his life prompts exploration of the place of human life in a world governed by transcendent forces, nature, fate, and the gods. While focusing on the experience of men in ancient Greece, the discussion also offers an analysis of the society in which they lived, addressing questions still vital in our own time, such as how the members of a society should govern themselves, distribute resources, form relationships with others, weigh the needs of the individual against the larger good of the community, and establish right relations with divine forces beyond their knowledge or control. Suggestions for further reading offer the reader the chance to explore the ideas in the book.