Reciprocity, Truth, and Gender in Pindar and Aeschylus by Arum Park (review)

IF 0.2 3区 历史学 0 CLASSICS CLASSICAL WORLD Pub Date : 2024-02-21 DOI:10.1353/clw.2024.a919927
Georgios Spiliotopoulos
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ISBN 978-0-472-13342-0. <p><em>Publishers are invited to submit new books to be reviewed to Professor Lawrence Kowerski, Classical Studies Program, Hunter College, 695 Park Ave., New York, NY 10065; email: lawrence.kowerski@hunter.cuny.edu</em>.</p> <p>Arum Park’s book provides an insightful comparison of Pindar and Aeschylus through the lens of reciprocity, truth, and gender. The inherent broadness of these terms poses an <em>a priori</em> challenge to the author. The study is also complicated by its focus on two poets with fundamentally different poetic forms. Park not only acknowledges and tackles these challenges effectively from the beginning but offers much more: a comparative approach to these notions, which leads to a better understanding of their complexity and highlights the complementarity of Pindar and Aeschylus.</p> <p>The book is characterized by its symmetry: the first three chapters deal with the works of Pindar, and the last three deal with Aeschylus. In the opening chapter, Park delves into the theme of reciprocity and notes that both poets view truth, <em>aletheia</em>, as a reflection of reciprocal relationships. Pindar personifies truth as <em>Alatheia</em>, a deity tied to guest-host obligations; Aeschylus focuses on revenge as a reciprocal act. The language and rhetoric of both poets, especially their use of parallelism and repetition, accentuate reciprocity.</p> <p>In the second chapter, Park explores reciprocity and truth in Pindar’s epinicians. Pindar balances mythological references with the theme of truth to establish a symbiotic bond between poet and patron. Truth and praise are depicted as mutually reinforcing with myths illustrating both their harmonious and conflicting aspects. In <em>Nemean</em> 7, celebrating Sogenes’ victory, he emphasizes that truthful representation depends on reciprocal poet-patron relations and critiques Homer for misalignment between poetic portrayal and reality.</p> <p>Chapter 3 considers the negative stereotypes of women in epinician poetry by examining their influence on reciprocal relationships. Pindar frequently portrays women, like the Hera-cloud in <em>Pythian</em> 2 and Coronis in <em>Pythian</em> 3, as deceptive. These women embody seduction and deception and, thus, underscore the risks to reciprocity and the poetic balance between truth and persuasion. Contrarily, male figures like Aegisthus and Jason are not portrayed as deceptive.</p> <p>The subsequent three chapters turn to Aeschylus. Chapter 4 examines the role of gender in Aeschylean tragedy through the concepts of reciprocity and truth. While Pindar’s female figures often challenge the relationship between these concepts, Aeschylus’ females, particularly the chorus in the <em>Seven Against Thebes</em>, strengthen it with their interpretive skill. Their insights, however, linking past, present, and future events, are disregarded by male characters. This opposition highlights the gender dynamics and the narrative-shaping role of women in Aeschylus.</p> <p>Chapter 5 focuses on the Danaids in Aeschylus’ <em>Suppliants</em>. Unlike the chorus of the <em>Seven</em>, the Danaids actively shape their narrative to impact their truth. They craft a hybrid identity, weaving together Greek and Egyptian elements, and link their lineage to Io to lessen their foreignness. Intertwining supplication and justice, they advocate for asylum by highlighting a shared history and future with <strong>[End Page 227]</strong> the Argives. Their narrative, however, reveals a paradox. While they wield verbal power, their dependence on male intervention underscores their limited agency and the ensuing tension within the play.</p> <p>The sixth chapter turns to the <em>Oresteia</em>. Park emphasizes how the trilogy’s concepts of reciprocity, gender, and truth evolve. In <em>Agamemnon</em>, Clytemnestra and Cassandra stand out, communicating their truths rooted in a preordained future and understood through their intricate relationships with male characters. The distinction between genders highlights how female characters possess a deep grasp of the cycle of reciprocity and challenge the limited insights of men to lead the narrative’s progression.</p> <p>One could argue that Park should have addressed the <em>Persians</em> and <em>Prometheus Bound</em>. The reasons not to include them are justified, as the former historical play is not part of a trilogy, and the latter’s authorship is disputed. 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Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:

  • Reciprocity, Truth, and Gender in Pindar and Aeschylus by Arum Park
  • Georgios Spiliotopoulos
Arum Park. Reciprocity, Truth, and Gender in Pindar and Aeschylus. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2023. Pp. xi, 241. $70.00. ISBN 978-0-472-13342-0.

Publishers are invited to submit new books to be reviewed to Professor Lawrence Kowerski, Classical Studies Program, Hunter College, 695 Park Ave., New York, NY 10065; email: lawrence.kowerski@hunter.cuny.edu.

Arum Park’s book provides an insightful comparison of Pindar and Aeschylus through the lens of reciprocity, truth, and gender. The inherent broadness of these terms poses an a priori challenge to the author. The study is also complicated by its focus on two poets with fundamentally different poetic forms. Park not only acknowledges and tackles these challenges effectively from the beginning but offers much more: a comparative approach to these notions, which leads to a better understanding of their complexity and highlights the complementarity of Pindar and Aeschylus.

The book is characterized by its symmetry: the first three chapters deal with the works of Pindar, and the last three deal with Aeschylus. In the opening chapter, Park delves into the theme of reciprocity and notes that both poets view truth, aletheia, as a reflection of reciprocal relationships. Pindar personifies truth as Alatheia, a deity tied to guest-host obligations; Aeschylus focuses on revenge as a reciprocal act. The language and rhetoric of both poets, especially their use of parallelism and repetition, accentuate reciprocity.

In the second chapter, Park explores reciprocity and truth in Pindar’s epinicians. Pindar balances mythological references with the theme of truth to establish a symbiotic bond between poet and patron. Truth and praise are depicted as mutually reinforcing with myths illustrating both their harmonious and conflicting aspects. In Nemean 7, celebrating Sogenes’ victory, he emphasizes that truthful representation depends on reciprocal poet-patron relations and critiques Homer for misalignment between poetic portrayal and reality.

Chapter 3 considers the negative stereotypes of women in epinician poetry by examining their influence on reciprocal relationships. Pindar frequently portrays women, like the Hera-cloud in Pythian 2 and Coronis in Pythian 3, as deceptive. These women embody seduction and deception and, thus, underscore the risks to reciprocity and the poetic balance between truth and persuasion. Contrarily, male figures like Aegisthus and Jason are not portrayed as deceptive.

The subsequent three chapters turn to Aeschylus. Chapter 4 examines the role of gender in Aeschylean tragedy through the concepts of reciprocity and truth. While Pindar’s female figures often challenge the relationship between these concepts, Aeschylus’ females, particularly the chorus in the Seven Against Thebes, strengthen it with their interpretive skill. Their insights, however, linking past, present, and future events, are disregarded by male characters. This opposition highlights the gender dynamics and the narrative-shaping role of women in Aeschylus.

Chapter 5 focuses on the Danaids in Aeschylus’ Suppliants. Unlike the chorus of the Seven, the Danaids actively shape their narrative to impact their truth. They craft a hybrid identity, weaving together Greek and Egyptian elements, and link their lineage to Io to lessen their foreignness. Intertwining supplication and justice, they advocate for asylum by highlighting a shared history and future with [End Page 227] the Argives. Their narrative, however, reveals a paradox. While they wield verbal power, their dependence on male intervention underscores their limited agency and the ensuing tension within the play.

The sixth chapter turns to the Oresteia. Park emphasizes how the trilogy’s concepts of reciprocity, gender, and truth evolve. In Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Cassandra stand out, communicating their truths rooted in a preordained future and understood through their intricate relationships with male characters. The distinction between genders highlights how female characters possess a deep grasp of the cycle of reciprocity and challenge the limited insights of men to lead the narrative’s progression.

One could argue that Park should have addressed the Persians and Prometheus Bound. The reasons not to include them are justified, as the former historical play is not part of a trilogy, and the latter’s authorship is disputed. This decision, however, leaves out two important tragedies that could perhaps offer further insights: How, for example, a gradually...

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阿鲁姆-帕克著《品达与埃斯库罗斯中的互惠、真理与性别》(评论)
以下是内容的简要摘录,以代替摘要:评论者 互惠、真理和《品达与埃斯库罗斯的性别》,作者:Arum Park Georgios Spiliotopoulos Arum Park。品达与埃斯库罗斯的互惠、真理与性别》。安阿伯:密歇根大学出版社,2023 年。第 xi、241 页。$70.00.ISBN978-0-472-13342-0。欢迎出版商向亨特学院古典研究项目 Lawrence Kowerski 教授提交待审新书,地址:695 Park Ave.,New York,NY 10065;电子邮件:lawrence.kowerski@hunter.cuny.edu。Arum Park 的这本书通过互惠、真理和性别的视角,对品达和埃斯库罗斯进行了深入的比较。这些术语固有的广泛性给作者带来了先验的挑战。此外,这项研究还因关注两位诗歌形式截然不同的诗人而变得复杂。Park 不仅从一开始就承认并有效地应对了这些挑战,而且还提供了更多的方法:对这些概念进行比较,从而更好地理解其复杂性,并突出了品达和埃斯库罗斯的互补性。本书的特点是对称性:前三章论述品达的作品,后三章论述埃斯库罗斯的作品。在开篇,帕克深入探讨了互惠主题,并指出两位诗人都将真理(aletheia)视为互惠关系的反映。品达将真理拟人化为阿拉提亚,一个与宾主义务联系在一起的神灵;埃斯库罗斯则将复仇视为一种互惠行为。两位诗人的语言和修辞,尤其是并列和重复的使用,都突出了互惠性。在第二章中,帕克探讨了品达的表音诗中的互惠和真理。品达在神话引用与真理主题之间取得了平衡,在诗人与赞助人之间建立了一种共生关系。真理与赞美被描绘成相辅相成的关系,神话说明了它们和谐与冲突的两个方面。在颂扬索吉尼斯胜利的《尼米亚神话 7》中,他强调真实的表现取决于诗人与赞助人之间的互惠关系,并批评荷马的诗歌描写与现实不符。第 3 章通过研究女性对互惠关系的影响,探讨了埃皮尼西亚诗歌中对女性的负面刻板印象。品达经常将女性描绘成具有欺骗性的形象,如《皮提亚 2》中的赫拉云和《皮提亚 3》中的科罗妮丝。这些女性是诱惑和欺骗的化身,因此强调了互惠关系的风险以及真理与说服之间的诗意平衡。与此相反,男性形象如埃吉斯图斯(Aegisthus)和杰森(Jason)并没有被描绘成欺骗者。接下来的三章将讨论埃斯库罗斯。第 4 章通过互惠和真实的概念探讨了性别在埃斯库罗斯悲剧中的作用。品达笔下的女性形象经常挑战这些概念之间的关系,而埃斯库罗斯笔下的女性,尤其是《七反底比斯》中的合唱团,则以她们的阐释技巧强化了这种关系。然而,她们将过去、现在和未来事件联系在一起的洞察力却被男性角色所忽视。这种对立凸显了埃斯库罗斯的性别动态和女性在叙事中的塑造作用。第 5 章的重点是埃斯库罗斯《妻妾成群》中的达奈德人。与 "七人合唱团 "不同,达娜伊德人积极塑造自己的叙事,以影响自己的真相。他们精心设计了一个混合身份,将希腊和埃及元素交织在一起,并将自己的血统与伊奥联系在一起,以减轻自己的异国情调。他们将祈求与正义交织在一起,通过强调与亚基夫人共同的历史和未来来主张庇护。然而,他们的叙述揭示了一个悖论。虽然她们掌握着话语权,但她们对男性干预的依赖凸显了她们有限的能动性以及剧中随之而来的紧张气氛。第六章转向《俄瑞斯忒亚》。帕克强调了三部曲中关于互惠、性别和真理的概念是如何演变的。在《阿伽门农》中,克莱特涅斯特拉和卡珊德拉脱颖而出,她们通过与男性角色错综复杂的关系,传达了根植于预设未来的真理。两性之间的区别凸显了女性角色如何深刻把握互惠循环,并挑战男性的有限洞察力,从而引领叙事的发展。有人可能会说,朴槿惠本应涉及波斯人和普罗米修斯之缚。不纳入这两部作品的理由是合理的,因为前者的历史剧并非三部曲的一部分,而后者的作者身份也存在争议。然而,这一决定遗漏了两部重要的悲剧,而这两部悲剧或许可以提供更多的启示:例如,如何逐渐...
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来源期刊
CLASSICAL WORLD
CLASSICAL WORLD CLASSICS-
CiteScore
0.30
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0.00%
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期刊介绍: Classical World (ISSN 0009-8418) is the quarterly journal of The Classical Association of the Atlantic States, published on a seasonal schedule with Fall (September-November), Winter (December-February), Spring (March-May), and Summer (June-August) issues. Begun in 1907 as The Classical Weekly, this peer-reviewed journal publishes contributions on all aspects of Greek and Roman literature, history, and society.
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