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Preface PART 1. THE NATURE AND FUNCTION OF MYTH 1. Introduction to Greek Myth Greek Religion and the Nature of the Divine / The Literary Quality of Greek Myth and Its Association with Communal Observances / Distinctive Qualities of Greek Literary Myth / Myth and History / The Major Periods of Greek History 2. Ways of Interpreting Myth Ancient Ways of Viewing Myth / Some Modern Interpretations of Myth / The Autonomy of Myth PART II. THE MYTHIC WORLD OF GODS, GODDESSES, AND HEROES 3. In the Beginning: Hesiod's Theogony Hesiod's Theogony and Ancient Near Eastern Myth / The Poet and His Inspiration / The Origins of the Gods / Hesiod's Worldview / Reading: Hesiod, Theogony 4. The Great Goddess and the Goddesses: The Divine Woman in Greek Mythology The Great Goddess / Gaea / The Great Goddess Divided / Demeter / The Homeric Hymn to Demeter / Reading: Author Unknown, Homeric Hymn to Demeter 5. The Olympian Family of Zeus The Divine Family: The Older Olympians / The Younger Olympians / The Gods at Home / Readings: Homer, The Loves of Ares and Aphrodite / Author Unknown, Homeric Hymn to Hermes 6. The World in Decline: Alienation of the Human and Divine Humanity's Alienation from the Gods: Prometheus, Fire, and Pandora / Humanity's Decline: Pandora and Eve / Humanity's Alienation from Nature as the Price of Civilization / The Two Natures of Strife / The Five Ages of Humanity / Humanity's Destruction: Deucalion's Flood / Reading: Hesiod, Works and Days 7. In Touch with the Gods: Apollo's Oracle at Delphi The Shrine at Delphi: Communing with the Gods / Apollo's Prehistory / Apollo and the Dragon: The Transition from Earth Goddess to Sky God / Apollo's Birth / Festivals and Ceremonies of Delphi / Apollo's Loves / Reading: Cynaethus (Kynaithos) of Chios, Hymn to Pythian Apollo 8. Dionysus: Rooted in Earth and Ecstasy Dionysus and Apollo: Contrasts and Connections / The Dionysian Myth / Reading: Author Unknown, Hymn to Dionysus 9. Land of No Return: The Gloomy Kingdom of Hades The Homeric View of the Afterlife / Tartarus / Descents into the Underworld / The Transmigration of Souls 10. Heroes and Heroines of Myth The Heroic Pattern / The Early Hero: Perseus / The Archetypal Hero: Heracles / Other Heroes: Theseus and Jason / The Upper Limits of Human Ambition: Phaethon / The Heroine: Women's Mysteries in a Man's World / Patterns of the Heroine Myths / The Heroine as Mother or Wife / The Heroine as Helper-Maiden / The Heroine as Hero-Impersonator / The Heroine as Bride of Death / The Victorious Heroines 11. Heroes at War: The Troy Saga The Decision of Paris / The Historicity of Troy / The Implications of the Story / Conflict in Society and the Cosmos / The Trojan Cycle Continues: Events Preceding the Iliad / The Homeric Epics / The Iliad / The Trojan Cycle Completed / Reading: Homer, Iliad 12. A Different Kind of Hero: The Quest of Odysseus Differences between the Iliad and the Odyssey / Reading: Homer, Odyssey PART III. MYTHS OF THE TRAGIC HEROES AND HEROINES 13. The Theater of Dionysus and the Tragic Vision The City Dionysia and the Birth of Drama / The Tragic Vision / Myth into Drama / The Bacchae: Euripides' Tragic Vision / Reading: Euripides, Bacchae 14. Cosmic Conflict and Evolution: Aeschylus's Transformation of the Prometheus Myth A Transformation of the Prometheus Myth / Complexities and Functions of the Prometheus Myth / Reading: Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 15. The House of Atreus: Aeschylus's Oresteia Aeschylus's Drama of Crime and Redemption / An Overview / Readings: Aeschylus, Agamemnon / Aeschylus, Libation-Bearers / Aeschylus, Eumenides 16. The Tragic House of Laius: Sophocles' Oedipus Cycle The World of Sophocles / Sophocles: The Citizen and Writer / Oedipus Rex / Oedipus at Colonus / Antigone / Readings: Sophocles, Oedipus Rex / Sophocles, Antigone 17. Euripides' Medea: A Different Perspective on Tragedy Euripides / The Woman's Perspective / The Heroic Medea / Medea and Corinthian Ritual / Another View of Medea / A Proletarian Perspective / The Tragic Hero Revisited / Euripides' Indictment of Tragic Violence / The Tragic Universe Parodied / Reading: Euripides, Medea PART IV. THE WORLD OF ROMAN MYTH 18. The Roman Vision: Greek Myths and Roman Realities The Connection between Greek and Roman Myths / A Roman Myth: Romulus and Remus / The Characteristics of Roman Myth / Roman Transformations of Greek Myths / The Roman Hero 19. The Aeneid: Virgil's Roman Epic Virgil / The Aeneid: Significant Themes and Characters / Reading: Virgil, Aeneid 20. Ovid's Metamorphoses: The Retelling of Greek Myths Ovid / The Metamorphoses: Significant Themes and Characters / Readings: Ovid, Excerpts from the Metamorphoses PART V. THE WESTERN WORLD'S TRANSFORMATIONS OF MYTH 21. The Persistence of Myth The Decline and Revival of Classical Mythology / The Later Uses of Classical Mythology / Methods of Transmission / Myth and Cultural History / Myth as Cultural Icon / The Future of Myth / Readings: Dante, Excerpt from the Inferno / Sir Philip Sidney, "Sonnet 5" from Astrophel and Stella / John Lyly, "Song" from Cupid and My Campaspe / John Donne, "Love's Deity" / John Milton, Excerpt from Paradise Lost / George Gordon, Lord Byron, "Prometheus" / Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Ulysses" / William Butler Yeats, "Leda and the Swan" / W. H. Auden, "The Shield of Achilles" / W. H. Auden, "Musee des Beaux Arts" / Eavan Boland, "The Pomegranate"A Selected List of Primary Works That Reinterpret Classical Myths Glossary Selected Bibliography Credits IndexDrugs of Abuse: Neurological Reviews and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Medicine), 2003 was published 2002 under ISBN 9780767415491 and ISBN 0767415493.
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