Myths of the Underworld Journey: Plato, Aristophanes, and the 'Orphic' Gold Tablets

ISBN-13: 9780521834346 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 292 str.

III Radcliffe G. Edmonds

Opis

Plato, Aristophanes, and the creators of the "Orphic" gold tablets employ the traditional tale of a journey to the realm of the dead to redefine, within the mythic narrative, the boundaries of their societies. Rather than being the relics of a faded ritual tradition or the products of Orphic influence, these myths can only reveal their meanings through this detailed analysis of the specific ways in which each author makes use of the tradition.

Recenzje

Review of the hardback: '… convincingly analyses how extensively Plato in the Phaedo redefines the ritual purity of the mysteries and funeral rites and traditional elements in mortuary journeys … The fascination for the reader in this analysis, as in Edmond's earlier ones, will be found in the details.' Raymond J. Clark, University of Ottowa

Spis treści

1. Introduction: the start of the journey; 2. Roadmaps of déviance: the 'Orphic' gold tablets; 3. Descent into the depths of comedy: The Frogs of Aristophanes; 4. The upward path of philosophy: the myth in Plato's Phaedo; 5. Conclusions: the end of the road.