{"product_id":"male-and-female-in-the-epic-of-gilgamesh-encounters-literary-history-and-interpretation-9781575063492","title":"Male and Female in the Epic of Gilgamesh: Encounters, Literary History, and Interpretation","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe deeds and struggles of Gilgamesh, legendary king of the city-state Uruk in the land of Sumer, have fascinated readers for millennia. They are preserved primarily in the \u003ci\u003eEpic of Gilgamesh\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the most well-known pieces of Mesopotamian literature. Studying the text draws us into an orbit that is engaging and thrilling, for it is a work of fantasy and legend that addresses some of the very existential issues with which contemporary readers still grapple. We experience the excitement of trying to penetrate the mind-set of another civilization, an ancient one—in this instance, a civilization that ultimately gave rise to our own.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe studies gathered here all demonstrate Tzvi Abusch’s approach to ancient literature: to make use of the tools of literary, structural, and critical analysis in service of exploring the personal and psychological dimensions of the narration. The author focuses especially on the encounters between males and females in the story. The essays are not only instructive for understanding the \u003ci\u003eEpic of Gilgamesh\u003c\/i\u003e, they also serve as exemplary studies of ancient literature with a view to investigating streams of commonality between ancient times and ours\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“On a literary-critical level, Abusch has given us much to think about and has presented a plausible, if uncertain, reconstruction of the Epic’s long and complicated history. . . I can certainly affirm Abusch’s statement that the basic conflict here “is that between the extraordinary and the normal” (p. 131). However gifted a person might be, he or she must come to terms with the constraints inherent in the human condition. But I would hold that this lesson of the Epic applies not only to a semi-divine ruler, but to any person, which helps to account for the great popularity of the tale(s) of Gilgamesh—in the ancient Near East and in the present day.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—Gary Beckman \u003ci\u003eAmerican Oriental Society\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003ePreface\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSources\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 1. Ishtar’s Proposal and Gilgamesh’s Refusal: An Interpretation of \u003ci\u003eThe Gilgamesh Epic\u003c\/i\u003e, Tablet VI, Lines 1–79 \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 2. Gilgamesh’s Request and Siduri’s Denial, Part I: The Meaning of the Dialogue and Its Implications for the History of the Epic \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 3. Gilgamesh’s Request and Siduri’s Denial, Part II: An Analysis and Interpretation of an Old Babylonian Fragment about Mourning and Celebration\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 4. Mourning the Death of a Friend: Some Assyriological Notes\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 5. The \u003ci\u003eEpic of Gilgamesh\u003c\/i\u003e and the Homeric Epics\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 6. The Development and Meaning of the \u003ci\u003eEpic of Gilgamesh\u003c\/i\u003e: An Interpretive Essay\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 7. The Courtesan, the Wild Man, and the Hunter: Studies in the Literary History of the \u003ci\u003eEpic of Gilgamesh\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 8. Hunting in the \u003ci\u003eEpic of Gilgamesh\u003c\/i\u003e: Speculations on the Education of a Prince\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 9. The Tale of the Wild Man and the Courtesan in India and Mesopotamia: The Seductions of Ṛśyaśṛṅ;ga in the \u003ci\u003eMahābhārata\u003c\/i\u003e and Enkidu in the \u003ci\u003eEpic of Gilgamesh\u003c\/i\u003e (coauthored with Emily West)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAbbreviations\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBibliography\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIndex of Citations\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pennsylvania State University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53188737139031,"sku":"9781575063492","price":34.16,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/male-and-female-in-the-epic-of-gilgamesh-encounters-literary-history-and-interpretation-9781575063492","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}