Enraged
Subtitle: why violent times need ancient Greek myths
By: Emily Katz Anhalt
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 268
ISBN-13: 9780300217377
Subjects: Greek influences; Criticism and interpretation; Civilization; Anger in literature; Classical Civilization
Description: "Millennia ago, Greek myths exposed the dangers of violent rage and the need for empathy and self-restraint. Homer's Iliad, Euripides' Hecuba, and Sophocles' Ajax show that anger and vengeance destroy perpetrators and victims alike. Composed before and during the ancient Greeks' groundbreaking movement away from autocracy toward more inclusive political participation, these stories offer guidelines for modern efforts to create and maintain civil societies. Emily Katz Anhalt reveals how these three masterworks of classical Greek literature can teach us, as they taught the ancient Greeks, to recognize violent revenge as a marker of illogical thinking and poor leadership. These time-honored texts emphasize the costs of our dangerous penchant for glorifying violent rage and those who would indulge in it. By promoting compassion, rational thought, and debate, Greek myths help to arm us against the tyrants we might serve and the tyrants we might become."--Amazon.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-253) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: The power of stories; title: Passions and priorities (Iliad 1); title: Them and us (Iliad 6); title: Cultivating rational thought (Iliad 9); title: Violence, vengeance, and a glimpse of victory (Iliad 10-24); title: The dangers of democratic decision making (Sophocles' Ajax); title: The abuse of power and its consequences (Euripides' Hecuba); title: Conclusion: the ends of self-government.