This volume gathers chapters related to the condition of women in the ancient novel. To broaden the perspective, it integrates not only papers dealing with the Greek and Roman novel as a literary genre in its own right, but also as a historical document involving aspects as diverse as history, archaeology, sociology and the history of law. The twenty-six contributions in this volume have been divided into thematic blocks, based on the different approaches that the authors have adopted to tackle the subject. The first block is about realia – the reality in which the fiction has been conceived. The second block focuses on the legal problems that can be deduced from the plots of the novels. The third block encompasses deals with the Greek and Roman novel from the point of view of classical philology, literary criticism and literary theory, with chapters dedicated to the tradition of the ancient novel, both in our most immediate cultural area (Middle Ages, Spanish Golden Age) and in other contexts, whether Indo-European (India, Persia) or of a different origin.

Despite the recent explosion of scholarly interest in the field of ancient sexuality, inquiry into major shifts in erotic consciousness is still in a preliminary stage. The essays in this collection, which focus upon the representation of the desiri

One of the reasons for the study of the Greek and Roman classics is their perpetual relevance. In no area can this position be more clearly defended than in the investigation of the feminine condition, for it was here that basic attitudes derogatory to the sex were molded by legal and social systems, by philosophers and poets, and by the thinking of men long since gone. Women in the Ancient World brings together essays that examine philosophy, social history, literature, and art, and that extend from the early Greek period through the Roman Empire. Their wide range of critical perspectives throws new light on the personal, political, socio-economic, and cultural position of women.

Selected by Choice as a 2012 Outstanding Academic Title Awarded a 2012 PROSE Honorable Mention as a Single Volume Reference/Humanities & Social Sciences A Companion to Women in the Ancient World presents an interdisciplinary, methodologically-based collection of newly-commissioned essays from prominent scholars on the study of women in the ancient world. The first interdisciplinary, methodologically-based collection of readings to address the study of women in the ancient world Explores a broad range of topics relating to women in antiquity, including: Mother-Goddess Theory; Women in Homer, Pre-Roman Italy, the Near East; Women and the Family, the State, and Religion; Dress and Adornment; Female Patronage; Hellenistic Queens; Imperial Women; Women in Late Antiquity; Early Women Saints; and many more Thematically arranged to emphasize the importance of historical themes of continuity, development, and innovation Reconsiders much of the well-known evidence and preconceived notions relating to women in antiquity Includes contributions from many of the most prominent scholars associated with the study of women in antiquity

This collection of essays represents research currently being undertaken on women's lives and their representations in various ancient societies. It provides a forum for the exchange and development of ideas and methods at a crucial period in the growth of women's studies in the UK.

"A dreamy and transgressive feminist retelling of the Great Flood from the perspective of Noah's wife as she wrestles with the mysterious metaphysics of womanhood at the end of the world." —O, The Oprah Magazine With the coming of the Great Flood—the mother of all disasters—only one family was spared, drifting on an endless sea, waiting for the waters to subside. We know the story of Noah, moved by divine vision to launch their escape. Now, in a work of astounding invention, acclaimed writer Sarah Blake reclaims the story of his wife, Naamah, the matriarch who kept them alive. Here is the woman torn between faith and fury, lending her strength to her sons and their wives, caring for an unruly menagerie of restless creatures, silently mourning the lover she left behind. Here is the woman escaping into the unreceded waters, where a seductive angel tempts her to join a strange and haunted world. Here is the woman tormented by dreams and questions of her own—questions of service and self-determination, of history and memory, of the kindness or cruelty of fate. In fresh and modern language, Blake revisits the story of the Ark that rescued life on earth, and rediscovers the agonizing burdens endured by the woman at the heart of the story. Naamah is a parable for our time: a provocative fable of body, spirit, and resilience.