Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic Experience in the Ancient Greek World

by David M. Halperin (Editor), Froma I. Zeitlin (Editor), John J. Winkler (Editor)

A dream in which a man has sex with his mother may promise him political or commercial success--according to dream interpreters of late antiquity, who, unlike modern Western analysts, would not necessarily have drawn conclusions from the dream about the dreamer's sexual psychology. Evidence of such shifts in perspective is leading scholars to reconsider in a variety of creative ways the history of sexuality. In these fifteen original essays, eminent cultural historians and classicists not only discuss sex, but demonstrate how norms, practices, and even the very definitions of what counts as sexual activity have varied significantly over time. Ancient Greece offers abundant evidence for a radically different set of sexual standards and behaviors from ours. Sex in ancient Hellenic culture assumed a variety of social and political meanings, whereas the modern development of a sex-centered model of personality now leads us to view sex as the key to understanding the individual. Drawing on both the Anglo-American tradition of cultural anthropology and the French tradition of les sciences humaines, these essays explore the iconography, politics, ethics, poetry, and medical practices that made sex in ancient Greece not a paradise of liberation but an exotic locale hardly recognizable to visitors from the modern world. In addition to the editors, the contributors to this volume are Peter Brown, Anne Carson, Franoise Frontisi-Ducroux, Maud W. Gleason, Ann Ellis Hanson, Franois Lissarrague, Nicole Loraux, Maurice Olender, S.R.F. Price, James Redfield, Giulia Sissa, and Jean-Pierre Vernant.

-- "The Times Literary Supplement"

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Queer, Sexuality, Greece, Classics, Essays

552 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Fiona Montgomery]

Anthology 🤢

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating exploration of sexuality in ancient Greece takes place. The book delves into the perspectives of dream interpreters in late antiquity, who believed that dreams, such as one where a man engages in sexual relations with his mother, could signify political or commercial success. Unlike modern Western analysts who emphasize sexual psychology, these interpreters approached dreams with different cultural frameworks. The shifting perspectives on sexuality have prompted scholars to reevaluate the history of sexuality in creative ways.

Within the book's fifteen original essays, esteemed cultural historians and classicists not only discuss the topic of sex but also showcase how norms, practices, and definitions of sexual activity have significantly varied over time. Ancient Greece, in particular, serves as a rich source of evidence revealing diverse sexual standards and behaviors vastly different from our contemporary understanding. In ancient Hellenic culture, sex carried various social and political meanings, challenging the modern focus on a sex-centered model of personality as the key to understanding the individual.

As a reference for a college thesis, this book proved to be extremely helpful in providing valuable insights and information. The depth of research and analysis presented by the author, David M. Halperin, contributes to its significance as a scholarly resource.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Referential Notes to self: French school of thought; negotiations of gender and sexuality through “playing” the other; emphasis on cultural “nomoi” and iconography.

*avoided overly-psychoanalytical essays and the medical essays
*revisit for essays on Eros