Description
Book SynopsisIt's a familiar story: a beautiful woman is abducted and her husband journeys to recover her. This story's best-known incarnation is also a central Greek myth--the abduction of Helen that led to the Trojan War. Stealing Helen surveys a vast range of folktales and texts exhibiting the story pattern of the abducted beautiful wife and makes a detailed
Trade Review"Ultimately, the book's greatest merit may lie ... in his [Edmunds'] broad horizons--in his delight at discovering similarities between classical literature and the tales and experiences of people across the globe."--Barbara Graziosi, Times Higher Education "Edmunds brings to this rich, sophisticated book an innovative approach to the Helen story: he looks at it with a comparative eye."--Choice
Table of Contents*Frontmatter, pg. i*Contents, pg. v*List of Figures, pg. ix*Preface, pg. xi*Abbreviations, pg. xv*Introduction, pg. 1*1. "The Abduction of the Beautiful Wife" as International Tale, pg. 20*2. Dioscuri, pg. 66*3. Helen Myth, pg. 103*4. Hypostases of Helen, pg. 162*5. Helen in the Fifth Century and After, pg. 197*Conclusion, pg. 236*Appendix 1. Examples of "The Abduction of the Beautiful Wife", pg. 247*Appendix 2. Inventory of Art Objects, pg. 303*Notes, pg. 313*References, pg. 369*Index Locorum, pg. 407*General Index, pg. 420
