Description
Book Synopsis"In the Greek romances," writes David Konstan, "sighs, tears, and suicide attempts are as characteristic of the male as of the female in distress; ruses, disguises, and outright violence in defense of one's chastity are as much the part of the female as of the male." Exploring how erotic love is represented in ancient amatory literature, Konstan po
Trade Review"Modern readers of the ancient novels ... can consider themselves fortunate, for the pleasure they take in those novels will be doubled by David Konstan's Sexual Symmetry, which shows that the love relationship a their centers consists of a pairing of equal partners utterly unique in ancient literary constructions of eros and foreign to most modern ones as well."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Table of ContentsPrefaceA Note on the Spelling of Greek TermsAbbreviationsIntroduction3Ch. 1The Greek Novel: Sexual Symmetry14Hapless Heroes15The Pederastic Paradigm26Mutuality versus Mastery30Love and Lust36Passion and Permanence45Constancy versus Chastity48Fidelity and Fate55Eros in the Novel57Ch. 2Greek Novels: Variations on a Type60Achilles Tatius: The Hero as Voyeur60Chariton: The View of the Heroine73Longus: Passion and Puberty79Heliodorus: Sex and the Sacred90Ch. 3Roman Novels: Unequal Love99Apollonius King of Tyre: Marriage and Incest100Petronius: Pederastic Passion113Apuleius: Desire and the Divine125Ch. 4Before the Novel: Passion and Power139New Comedy141Elegy150Lyric and Epigram160Mime162Pastoral167Epic170Tragedy175Eros in Antiquity178The Novel185Ch. 5Modern Novels: The Division of Desire187Aucassin and Nicolette: Sex and Status188Arcadia: Passion and Patriarchy192Pandosto: The Division of Desire199Pamela: Learning to Love205The Pulp Romances: Harlequin Heroines211Love in the Modern Novel214Ch. 6Conclusion218Works Cited233Index263
