The Severed Head

The Severed Head
Author: Julia Kristeva
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2012
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0231157207

Renowned philosopher and cultural theorist Kristeva (Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection) offers an extended consideration of artistic figurations of the severed head, the organizing theme to an exhibition she coordinated at the Louvre in 1998. Though she follows a single historical trajectory, moving from Paleolithic skull cults to antique Greek sculpture to the Surrealist drawings, Kristeva eschews the disciplinary constraints of art history, instead employing psychoanalysis to explore the intertwined problems of representation and mortality posed by the severed head. For Kristeva, the capacity to figure the life of the mind first requires a confrontation with this horrific object that stands at the boundary between life and death, registering not only the loss of corporeal form but also subjective interiority. Though this book does not engage with recent images of decapitation, it is not without contemporary political-cultural import; for Kristeva, these cruel artistic figurations offer us the capacity to contemplate the sacred within a technology-driven contemporary visual culture. Verdict While a challenging text, this beautifully written and richly layered meditation on mortality and representation will undoubtedly appeal to those readers interested in semiotic and psychoanalytically informed readings of art.-Jonathan Patkowski, CUNY Graduate Ctr.(c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa

Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa
Author: Geraldine McCaughrean
Publisher:
Total Pages: 48
Release: 1997
Genre: Children's stories
ISBN: 9781860395314

A retelling of the Greek tale of how Perseus, a good and brave young man, is helped by the gods to cut off the head of the monster Gorgon Medusa. Suggested level: primary.

A Book of Myths

A Book of Myths
Author: Jean Lang
Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2023-07-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 3849663752

"A Book of Myths" deals in a most entertaining manner with the mythology of Greece and Rome and many other noted lands. Added to the pleasure of the story there is the lure of the legend and the spell of old ways and customs. Not only many of the most celebrated are retold, but also many of the less well-known tales. The aim of the author, it is stated, has been to simplify for those who are not erudite scholars the stories of mythology, to which constant reference is made not only in classic, but in modern poetry, and to direct the attention of readers to poems which are not already known to them. Included are tales of Prometheus, Pygmalion, Orpheus, Perseus, King Midas, Pan, the Lorelei, Baldur and many more.

Star Tales

Star Tales
Author: Ian Ridpath
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0718894782

Every night, a pageant of Greek mythology circles overhead. Perseus flies to the rescue of Andromeda, Orion faces the charge of the snorting Bull, and the ship of the Argonauts sails in search of the Golden Fleece. Constellations are the invention of human imagination, not of nature. They are an expression of the human desire to impress its own order upon the apparent chaos of the night sky. Modern science tells us that these twinkling points of light are glowing balls of gas, but the ancient Greeks, to whom we owe many of our constellations, knew nothing of this. Ian Ridpath, award-winning astronomy writer and popularizer, has been intrigued by the myths of the stars for many years. Star Tales is the first modern guide to combine all the fascinating myths in one book, illustrated with the beautiful and evocative engravings from two of the leading star atlases: Johann Bode’s Uranographia of 1801 and John Flamsteed’s Atlas Coelestis of 1729. This classic book, now in a revised and expanded edition, presents additional information on the constellations with new and enchanting illustrations. For anyone interested in the stars and classical mythology, for anyone who is an armchair astronomer, this is the perfect gift.

A Severed Head

A Severed Head
Author: Iris Murdoch
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 199
Release: 1976-11-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101495839

A novel about the frightfulness and ruthlessness of being in love, from the author of the Booker Prize-winning novel The Sea, The Sea Martin Lynch-Gibson believes he can possess both a beautiful wife and a delightful lover. But when his wife, Antonia, suddenly leaves him for her psychoanalyst, Martin is plunged into an intensive emotional reeducation. He attempts to behave beautifully and sensibly. Then he meets a woman whose demonic splendor at first repels him and later arouses a consuming and monstrous passion. As his Medusa informs him, “this is nothing to do with happiness.” A Severed Head was adapted for a successful stage production in 1963 and was later made into a film starring Claire Bloom, Lee Remick, Richard Attenborough, and Ian Holm.

Medusa

Medusa
Author: Stephen R. Wilk
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2007-11-15
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 019988773X

Medusa, the Gorgon, who turns those who gaze upon her to stone, is one of the most popular and enduring figures of Greek mythology. Long after many other figures from Greek myth have been forgotten, she continues to live in popular culture. In this fascinating study of the legend of Medusa, Stephen R. Wilk begins by refamiliarizing readers with the story through ancient authors and classical artwork, then looks at the interpretations that have been given of the meaning of the myth through the years. A new and original interpretation of the myth is offered, based upon astronomical phenomena. The use of the gorgoneion, the Face of the Gorgon, on shields and on roofing tiles is examined in light of parallels from around the world, and a unique interpretation of the reality behind the gorgoneion is suggested. Finally, the history of the Gorgon since tlassical times is explored, culminating in the modern use of Medusa as a symbol of Female Rage and Female Creativity.

The Penguin Book of Classical Myths

The Penguin Book of Classical Myths
Author: Jennifer R. March
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2009-10-27
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0141020776

The figures and events of classical myths underpin our culture and the constellations named after them fill the night sky. Whether it�s the raging Minotaur trapped in the Cretan labyrinth or the twelve labours of Hercules, Aphrodite�s birth from the waves or Zeus visiting Danae as a shower of gold, the mythology of Greece and Rome is full of unforgettable stories. All the stories of the Greek tragedies � Oedipus, Medea, Antigone � are there; all the events of the Trojan wars and of Odysseus and Aeneas� epic journeys; the founding of Athens and of Rome� These are the strangest tales of love, war, betrayal and heroism ever told and, while brilliantly retelling them, this book shows how they echo through the works of much later writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Camus and Ted Hughes. Full of attractive illustrations and laid out in eighteen clear chapters (the titles include �Dangerous Women� and �Heroes�), Dr Jennifer March has written a fascinating guide to the myths of classical civilization that is as readable as a novel.

The Metamorphoses of Ovid

The Metamorphoses of Ovid
Author: Ovid
Publisher: Castrovilli Giuseppe
Total Pages: 588
Release: 1858
Genre: History
ISBN:

Ovid was a major Roman poet during the reign of Augustus. Ovid, along with Horace and Virgil, helped form Latin literature as the world came to know it. Ovid's most famous works are The Metamorphoses and his collections of love poetry.The Metamorphoses of Ovid is an epic poem of fifteen books that contain over 250 myths. The stories of The Metamorphoses cover the history of the world from its creation all the way through the time of Julius Caesar. This book has influenced other great authors such as Shakespeare, Dante, and Chaucer.

Star Myths of the World, Volume Three

Star Myths of the World, Volume Three
Author: David Warner Mathisen
Publisher:
Total Pages: 766
Release: 2016-08-03
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780996059053

Complete guide to the system of celestial metaphor which forms the foundation for the stories of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Sometimes called "Astro-theology," the study of the evidence that the scriptures, myths, and sacred traditions all employ celestial metaphor (using stars, constellations, planets, etc) to convey esoteric truths.