The Atlantis Story: A Short History of Plato's Myth

by Pierre Vidal-Naquet, Janet Lloyd (Translator)

This is the history of the development through the ages of Plato's "Atlantis" story - the imperialist island state that disappeared in a cataclysm, leaving Athens to survive it...Instead of simply focusing on the various attempts to 'find' Atlantis - all of which are futile for the very good reason that Plato made the island up - the author re-examines the very different uses made of the myth in different contexts and periods. He shows how Plato's myth was reinterpreted in the medieval period and after through conflation with the search for the lost tribes of Israel; how it became involved with the debate about whether Europe should look back to its origins in the Classical or Biblical worlds; how the myth was reinterpreted with a more geographical emphasis following Columbus' discovery of America; and how it was used in the "Enlightenment" to add colour to nationalist attempts to claim antiquity by finding unrecognised origins. Written in a clear and interesting way, Pierre
Vidal-Naquet's original ideas rest on deep knowledge supported by primary references and illustrations.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Mythology

216 pages, Hardcover

First published February 7, 2005

About the author

Pierre Vidal-Naquet was a French historian who began teaching at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in 1969.
Vidal-Naquet was a specialist in the study of Ancient Greece, but was also interested (and deeply involved) in contemporary history, particularly the Algerian War (1954–62), during which he opposed the use of torture by the French Army, as well as Jewish history. Having participated with Michel Foucault and Jean-Marie Domenach in the founding of the Groupe d'information sur les prisons (GIP), one of the first French new social movements, he criticized negationism. Vidal-Naquet, who never abandoned his fascination with Antiquity, was also a supporter of Middle East peace efforts.

Reviews

[Dvd (#) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me lo ricordo sommamente pesante.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai trouvé ce livre à la bibliothèque et le titre m'a intriguée. Le contenu est plutôt intéressant, même si c'est très axé philosophie, et moins sur la popularité et l'histoire du mythe, comme je m'y attendais. Il y a tout de même des anecdotes intéressantes !

[Lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no doubt that the author is a great connoisseur of greek (and other) culture, and indeed throughout the book we can not but admire such erudition.

There are several references, but they are all related to the subject and very useful for further studies on the matter, and I don´t think they spoil the reading, on the contrary. In general, it´s a concise (it´s a relatively small book), straightforward writing. It helped me a lot, as an introductory book, to start my studies on Atlantis.

[Rosa Ramôa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Desde os anos de 1950 que se operam impressionantes deslocações da dinâmica do mundo no sentido do Pacífico Norte.(...)Em 1980,pela primeira vez,as trocas dos Estados Unidos com a zona do Pacífico ultrapassaram as efectuadas com a Europa Ocidental.(...)Entre 1973 e 1981,o crescimento destes 'países oficinas' ('tigres asiáticos') e do Japão bateu todos os recordes históricos,com uma taxa anual média de oito por cento (...)A terceira revolução industrial terá sido a primeira a não situar a sua origem na Europa atlântica.O meridiano de Grreenwich deixou de ser o eixo do Mundo"...

[Antonio Fanelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Più appassionante dei romanzi e storielle nate sul mito stesso :)
Ben documentato e argomentato.
Ottimo saggio per tutti.

[JEAN-PHILIPPE PEROL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vidal-Naquet ne croit pas à l'Atlantide, mais nous raconte avec talent l'histoire de ce mythe et des hommes qu'il a fasciné à travers les âges. En refermant le livre on regrette cependant que l'auteur n'ait même pas voulu se pencher sur les possibles origines du mythe, cet immense historien nous aurait peut-être ainsi aidé à continuer à rêver en lisant 20.000 lieues sous les mers.

[Ryan Scicluna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historical analysis of Atlantis. I found this book quite interesting. It presents the different works about Atlantis and the different conclusions brought with different eras of history.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author traces the use of the myth of Atlantis which started with Plato.

[Hboyd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Une promenade sympa parmi le paysage de publications sur l'Atlantide. Or le style est très exaspérant.