| The Medieval Medea Contributor(s): Morse, Ruth (Author) |
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ISBN: 0859914593 ISBN-13: 9780859914598 Publisher: Boydell & Brewer OUR PRICE: $118.75 Product Type: Hardcover Published: September 1996 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Medieval |
| Dewey: 809.933 |
| LCCN: 96017091 |
| Physical Information: 0.69" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (1.30 lbs) 290 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The legends of Jason and Medea illustrate how disparate and sometimes contradictory stories were combined in the creation of the first secular princely quest, how that quest functioned as a benchmark of western chronology, and how that in turn assured the stories' position as part of the legends of Troy. The innovations of Euripides and Apollonius were imitated throughout Antiquity, and examples of murderous mothers illustrated the lethal disruptions of which women could be capable. For many medieval authors - Dante, Chaucer, Boccaccio, Gower, Christine de Pizan and others -the problem of a hero who betrays his oath and a heroine who murders and escapes offered insoluble and tragic subjects. This study discusses how the legends contribute not only to ideas of history, but also to conceptions of the power and ruthlessness of women. RUTH MORSE is Professeur des Universités at UniversitéParis VII. |