Gender and the Interpretation of Classical Myth

193 Pages·2003·10.349 MB·English

by  Lillian E. Doherty

Gender and the Interpretation of
Classical Myth
CLASSICAL INTER/FACES
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GENDER AND THE
INTERPRETATION
OF
CLASSICAL MYTH
Lillian E. Doherty
Bloomsbury Academic
An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Pic
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This impression 2003
First published in 2001 by
Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd.
© Lillian E. Doherty 2001
Lillian E. Doherty has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: PB: 978-0-7156-3042-6
ePDF: 978-1-4725-0239-1
ePub: 978-1-4725-0240-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Series: Classical Inter/Faces
Contents
Acknowledgements 7
Preface: Classical Myths in Contemporary Culture 9
1. Myth and Gender Systems 15
2. Psychological Approaches 46
3. Myth and Ritual 77
4. Myth as 'Charter' 100
5. Structuralist and Post-Structuralist Approaches 127
6. Myth, Folklore, and Popular Culture 152
Notes 171
Further Reading 187
Index 189
5

Acknowledgments
My deep thanks to my Chair, Judith P. Hallett, and to the other
members of the Classics Department at the University of Maryland,
for their moral support and willingness to let me take a semester's
leave during the writing of this book. For specific suggestions and
brainstorming, thanks to Judith Hallett, Gregory Staley, and Eva
Stehle. Thanks to Hugh Lee for administering a myth questionnaire
to his class. To Maryland colleagues outside my department -
Pamela Alexander of Psychology, Katie King of Women's Studies,
Bill Stuart of Anthropology - thanks for help with bibliography and
specific questions.
For generous responses to miscellaneous inquiries, thanks to
John Miles Foley, Wendy Doniger, Richard Martin, Barbara
McManus, Gregory Nagy, Annabel Robinson, Seth Schein, Alan
Shapiro, Aaron Tate, and Adrienne Zihlman.
For permission to quote from an unpublished abstract, thanks to
Ann Suter.
For an invitation to lecture on the topic of Chapter 3, and for
helpful feedback after my talk, thanks to Nancy Felson and the
Classics faculty at the University of Georgia.
For help in my investigations of children's literature, thanks to
Margaret Coughlan of the Library of Congress; to Maria Salvador of
the District of Columbia Public Library; to Dr Bruce Ronda of
Colorado State University; and above all to Sue Jagger and Victoria
Velsey of Georgetown Day School.
For permitting me to pose an extra question on the 2001 version
of the Medusa Myth Exam, thanks to the members of the Exam
Committee, especially Matt Webb.
For valuable feedback on early drafts of the manuscript, thanks
7
Gender and the Interpretation of Classical Myth
to Elise Brand, Denise McCoskey, and my mother, Rosemary Jant-
zen Doherty.
For their faith that I was the person to write this book, and for
their help along the way, thanks to Susanna Braund, Paul Car-
tledge, and Deborah Blake.
And thanks to Harvey, for being there.
August 2001 Lillian E. Doherty
8
Preface
Classical Myths in
Contemporary Culture
Is classical Greek and Roman mythology still a part of the common
culture of Europe and the Americas at the turn of the twenty-first
century? If so, what functions does it serve? In particular, how is it
related to our gender system - the nexus of symbols, norms and roles
that structure our gender relationships? Finally, how do its func-
tions in our world compare with those it filled for the ancient
cultures that first produced it? This book is one 'classicist's' answer
- or set of answers - to these questions.
It can be argued that the notion of a 'common culture' is itself
obsolete. Europe and its former colonies no longer share a widely-
known body of traditional stories. The Bible and some classical
authors (notably Vergil and Ovid) provided such a 'canon' for many
centuries, at least to the educated classes, but even the Bible is no
longer widely read. Most people now have access to electronic media
and share knowledge of certain television programmes, music vid-
eos, and films, but these are not traditional and have little chance
of becoming so.
Yet the mythologies of the past have never been more popular -
or, arguably, more widely known - than they are today. Greek and
Roman myths are among the most prominent, thanks to several
television series and to Disney films based on Hercules and Atlantis.
Great numbers of children's books and comic books on mythic
themes are in circulation. Enrolment in mythology courses is soar-
ing.
How are we to reconcile these two apparently conflicting trends?
My answer is that, in the phrase of Marcel Détienne, myths are 'good
to think with'.1 They differ from newly created fictions in having the
9