Description

Book Synopsis
The Partheneion, or maiden song, composed in the seventh century BCE by the Spartan poet Alcman, is the earliest substantial example of a choral lyric. This book excavates the poem's invocations of widespread and long-lived cosmological ideas that cast the universe as perfectly harmonious and invested its workings with an ethical dimension.

Trade Review
"Ferrari's creative reading of the Partheneion makes sense of many of the apparently disparate parts of this poem and of its context.... Her argument is convincing and well supported. The extensive bibliography is an excellent resource for research on Greek lyric, performance, and the relevant myths." (Classical Outlook) "Ferrari offers a provocative discussion of the poem's dramatic performance, ritual context, and societal role, shedding a new light on its perplexing imagery.... By discussing debatable matters and proposing her own innovative interpretations, Ferrari contributes actively and sensitively to these debates, making this book an important contribution to the study of ancient Greek choral poetry, archaeology, and art history." (American Anthropologist)"

Alcman and the Cosmos of Sparta

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    A Paperback / softback by Gloria Ferrari

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      Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 20/03/2014
      ISBN13: 9780226668680, 978-0226668680
      ISBN10: 0226668681
      Also in:
      Literary studies: ancient, classical

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      The Partheneion, or maiden song, composed in the seventh century BCE by the Spartan poet Alcman, is the earliest substantial example of a choral lyric. This book excavates the poem's invocations of widespread and long-lived cosmological ideas that cast the universe as perfectly harmonious and invested its workings with an ethical dimension.

      Trade Review
      "Ferrari's creative reading of the Partheneion makes sense of many of the apparently disparate parts of this poem and of its context.... Her argument is convincing and well supported. The extensive bibliography is an excellent resource for research on Greek lyric, performance, and the relevant myths." (Classical Outlook) "Ferrari offers a provocative discussion of the poem's dramatic performance, ritual context, and societal role, shedding a new light on its perplexing imagery.... By discussing debatable matters and proposing her own innovative interpretations, Ferrari contributes actively and sensitively to these debates, making this book an important contribution to the study of ancient Greek choral poetry, archaeology, and art history." (American Anthropologist)"

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