Aspects of Death in Early Greek Art and Poetry

by Emily Vermeule

The ancient Greeks devoted a significant portion of their poetic and artistic energy to exploring themes of death. Vermeule examines the facts and fictions of Greek death, including burial and mourning, visions of the underworld, souls and ghosts, the value of heroic death in battle, the quest for immortality, the linked powers of death, sleep, and love, and more.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Death, Classics, Mythology

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Clément]

This is a great and admirably written account of exactly what the title suggests. The author evokes a multitude of ideas and themes in each of the six chapters, to the point that it might be hard, on a first reading at least, to remember all the aspects of death that constitute the Greek canon; one might do well to take notes of each of them as they read about them, for fear of forgetting (something which I have not done of course - as Wilde says, "The only good thing to do with advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself": writing a sentence counseling it on Goodreads is much easier than doing the thing itself).

The enormous amount of knowledge that Emily Vermeule had apparently gathered is a gift and a boon to any Phil-Hellene or mythology aficionado, as one benefits greatly from the in-depth commentary on classic Greek works, notably the Iliad and Odyssey but also the writings of Sophocles, Euripides, and others such as Pindar. This is a great chance to not only be reminded of what goes on in these works, but also learn more deeply about them, as these aspects of death that are mentioned give perspective into why certain images are conjured by the poet, what belief lies underneath, etc.

Furthermore, Vermeule's focus on archaic Greece, i.e. before the 5th century BCE, is very interesting as much of what is popularly known about Ancient Greece and its mythology come from precisely the period following this, with all the changes and new mores that gradually sprouted up. This is therefore a very interesting account of the developments that led to what we know best about Ancient Greece, and a fascinating look at the point of view of this even older civilisation.

Very warmly recommended for anyone remotely interested in the subject.

[Sugarpop]

This book is fantastic and we definitely need something more updated.