Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths
Adult/High School-A lavishly illustrated collection of nine myths restored from primary (and often fragmentary) sources and presented with the full view of the sexuality that pervaded Greek life. Woven between sections of the myths is a dialogue from more than 1700 years ago that is an unabashed comparison of the love of men versus the love of women. This gives rich context for the fullness of the stories that are here told with interpretations that bring the homoerotic content to light as part of the world of humans and of gods. Male love was held to be an apprenticeship for manhood, a way to learn about warriorship, culture, and proper behavior. Sex wasn't gay or straight; it just was. Young adults will have an opportunity to learn about mythology with new explications and insights. Not only of interest to the gay community, the book will appeal to all lovers of myth as it is a work of considerable scholarship suitable for use in courses on gender studies or Greek history and culture. Heavily illustrated with photographs of ancient art and elegantly printed, it provides notes, a map, bibliography, and an indexed glossary. A study guide is being prepared to support this text in educational settings.Reed Coats, Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.