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Ancient Stepmothers: Myth, Misogyny and Reality
Ancient Stepmothers is the first full-length study of the stepmother in Graeco-Roman antiquity. Several perspectives are literary, historical and sociological, the last-mentioned making use of comparative material from modern studies of stepfamilies.
The portrayal of the stepmother in myth and literature is thoroughly explored. The historical background in Athens and Rome is examined with a view to determining the relationship between fiction and real life.
The book makes an important contribution to the study of both literary history and family in particular, it sheds light on attitudes to women, the portrayal of the stepmother being an outstanding illustration of misogynistic prejudice. It will also interest sociologists wishing to place studies of the contemporary stepfamily in a wider historical for this reason, all Greek and Latin is translated into English.
The portrayal of the stepmother in myth and literature is thoroughly explored. The historical background in Athens and Rome is examined with a view to determining the relationship between fiction and real life.
The book makes an important contribution to the study of both literary history and family in particular, it sheds light on attitudes to women, the portrayal of the stepmother being an outstanding illustration of misogynistic prejudice. It will also interest sociologists wishing to place studies of the contemporary stepfamily in a wider historical for this reason, all Greek and Latin is translated into English.
304 pages, Leather Bound
First published November 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 6, 2018
This work is a One-Stop resource on the subject of Stepmothers in the Ancient World, for it is extensively researched and very comprehensive in its considerations - every kind of ancient text and document which can furnish evidence has been included within its scope.
Much of the literary evidence is provided by Classical Greek Drama and Roman Declamation or Tragedy, so the periods forming the focus of study are 5th-century BC Athens and late Republican/Early Imperial Rome, but other sources like laws, legal speeches, and historiography add to the picture, making for well-supported assumptions about other periods, while an excellent excursus on the evidence of inscriptions allows us to explore attitudes towards/about stepmothers in lower ranks of society.
Exploiting all these resources the author is able to ask and pursue the most interesting questions: what is the relationship b/w the the literary representation of murderous (or seducing) stepmothers and real-life stepmothers? How do Greek portrayals of the stepmother compare with the Roman, and how are we to explain the similarities and differences, such as the poisoning stepmother of Roman declamation? How does the evidence for non-elite stepmothers compare with the evidence for elite? Why aren't stepfathers given an equally bad press?
Exploring all these questions and more, Watson shows, in short, that the poor image of the stepmother in ancient literature is a marked distortion of reality produced by the ancients' fears about the reconstituted family (i.e. families with steprelationships) and the tensions in such families, particularly tensions generated by inheritance issues. But even though the evidence demonstrates that ill-feelings are nurtured more often by family members other than stepmothers, nonetheless stepmothers are made scapegoats for such tensions, largely, it must be supposed, in consequence of the misogynistic attitudes prevailing in these societies, which held that women were jealous creatures, lacking in emotional restraint, and inclined to treachery.
Much of the literary evidence is provided by Classical Greek Drama and Roman Declamation or Tragedy, so the periods forming the focus of study are 5th-century BC Athens and late Republican/Early Imperial Rome, but other sources like laws, legal speeches, and historiography add to the picture, making for well-supported assumptions about other periods, while an excellent excursus on the evidence of inscriptions allows us to explore attitudes towards/about stepmothers in lower ranks of society.
Exploiting all these resources the author is able to ask and pursue the most interesting questions: what is the relationship b/w the the literary representation of murderous (or seducing) stepmothers and real-life stepmothers? How do Greek portrayals of the stepmother compare with the Roman, and how are we to explain the similarities and differences, such as the poisoning stepmother of Roman declamation? How does the evidence for non-elite stepmothers compare with the evidence for elite? Why aren't stepfathers given an equally bad press?
Exploring all these questions and more, Watson shows, in short, that the poor image of the stepmother in ancient literature is a marked distortion of reality produced by the ancients' fears about the reconstituted family (i.e. families with steprelationships) and the tensions in such families, particularly tensions generated by inheritance issues. But even though the evidence demonstrates that ill-feelings are nurtured more often by family members other than stepmothers, nonetheless stepmothers are made scapegoats for such tensions, largely, it must be supposed, in consequence of the misogynistic attitudes prevailing in these societies, which held that women were jealous creatures, lacking in emotional restraint, and inclined to treachery.
October 30, 2019
I'm writing my dissertation on stepmothers in fairy tales and this was incredibly helpful for my wider knowledge of the trope.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews