Eros : The Myth of Ancient Greek Sexuality by Bruce S. Thornton - 1996

Westview Press. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1997. Hardcover. 0813332257 . Dustjacket is protected in mylar. ; Eros: The Myth of Ancient Greek Sexuality is a controversial book that lays bare the meanings Greeks gave to sex. Contrary to the romantic idealization of sex dominating our culture, the Greeks saw eros as a powerful force of nature, potentially dangerous, and in need of control by society: Eros the Destroyer, not Cupid the Insipid, fired the Greek imagination. The destructiveness of eros can be seen in Greek imagery and metaphor, and in the Greeks' attitudes toward women and homosexuals. Images of love as fire, disease, storms, insanity, and violence—Top 40 song clichés for us—locate eros among the unpredictable and deadly forces of nature. The beautiful Aphrodite embodies the alluring danger of sex, while femmes fatales like Pandora and Helen represent the risky charms of female sexuality. And homosexuality typifies for the Greeks the frightening… Read More

hardcover. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.