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The myth of Hero and Leander : the history and reception of an enduring Greek legend / Silvia Montiglio

Author
Montiglio, Silvia, 1960-
Published
London : I.B. Tauris, 2018.
Copyright Date
©2018
Physical Description
1 online resource (x, 284 pages) : illustrations
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Contents
Introduction -- 1. Seduction, love and athleticism: Leander (and Hero) in Roman literature and culture -- 2. Musaeus' Hero and Leander, or 'love against the world' -- 3. Lustful fornicators or courtly lovers? the legend in medieval European literature -- 4. The tale as Musaeus told it: Hero and Leander in medieval Greek literature and the diffusion of Musaeus' poem in Europe -- Epilogue: Looking back and looking forward.
Summary
"Hero and Leander are the protagonists in a classical tale of epic but tragic love. Hero lives secluded in a tower on the European shore of the Hellespont, and Leander on the opposite side of the passage. Since they cannot hope to marry, the couple resolves to meet in secret: each night he swims across to her, guided by the light of her torch. But the time comes when a winter storm kills both the light and Leander. At dawn, Hero sees her lover's mangled body washed ashore, and so hurls herself from the tower to meet him in death. Silvia Montiglio here shows how and why this affecting story has proved to be one of the most popular and perennial mythologies in the history of the West. Discussing its singular drama, danger, pathos and eroticism, the author explores the origin of the legend and its rich and varied afterlives. She shows how it was used by Greek and Latin writers; how it developed in the Middle Ages - notably in the writings of Christine de Pizan - and Renaissance; how it inspired Byron to swim the Dardanelles; and how it has lived on in representations by artists including Rubens and Frederic Leighton."--
Subject(s)
ISBN
9781786722904 (electronic bk.)
1786722909 (electronic bk.)
1784539562
9781784539566
1786722909
9781786732903
1786732904
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-276) and index.
View MARC record | catkey: 43274304