The Anger of Achilles: Mênis in Greek Epic / Edition 1

by Leonard Muellner

Overview

"Menis opens for consideration an immense range of significant poetic possibilities, not the least of which is that of an ethical sense for the term."—Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"Henceforth no one will be able to claim that menis merely connotes strong emotion. Muellner has demonstrated that menis is a critical component of the workings of both the human and divine cosmos. And that is no small accomplishment."—American Journal of Philology

"It is high praise, and deserved, to say that this study will take its place... as one of the works that have given us insights into truly fundamental issues in Homer."—Classical Journal

Leonard Muellner's goal is to restore the Greek word for the anger of Achilles, menis, to its social, mythical, and poetic contexts. His point of departure is the anthropology of emotions. He believes that notions of anger vary between cultures and that the particular meaning of a word such as menis needs to emerge from a close study of Greek epic. Menis means more than an individual's emotional response. On the basis of the epic exemplifications of the word, Muellner defines the term as a cosmic sanction against behavior that violates the most basic rules of human society. To understand the way menis functions, Mueller stresses both the power and the danger that accrue to a person who violates such rules. Transgressive behavior has both a creative and a destructive aspect.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801432309
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	07/15/1996
Series:	Myth and Poetics
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)
Lexile:	1630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Leonard Muellner is Professor of Classics at Brandeis University. He is the author of The Meaning of Homeric EYXOMAI through Its Formulas.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	vii
	Acknowledgments	ix
	Introduction: Approaching Anger	1
1	Menis and Cosmic Status in the Hierarchy of Peers	5
2	Menis and the Social Order	32
3	The Narrative Sequence of the Hesiodic Theogony	52
4	The Menis of Achilles and the First Book of the Iliad	94
5	The Menis of Achilles and Its Iliadic Teleology	133
Appendix	The Etymology of Menis	177
	References	197
	Index of Sources	205
	Index of Subjects	214

What People are Saying About This

Jonathan Burgess

This original and challenging study... is about much more than Achilles.... The patient reader will gain much insight into how the ancient world would have understood the mythological resonance of menis.

Editorial Reviews

"This original and challenging study. . . is about much more than Achilles. . . . The patient reader will gain much insight into how the ancient world would have understood the mythological resonance of menis."—Jonathan Burgess, Religious Studies Review

From the Publisher