Poetic Heroes

Poetic Heroes PDF Author: Mark S. Smith
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 0802867928
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 660

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Book Description
Warfare exerts a magnetic power, even a terrible attraction, in its emphasis on glory, honor, and duty. In order to face the terror of war, it is necessary to face how our biblical traditions have made it attractive -- even alluring. In this book Mark Smith undertakes an extensive exploration of "poetic heroes" across a number of ancient cultures in order to understand the attitudes of those cultures toward war and warriors. Smith examines the Iliad and the Gilgamesh; Ugaritic poems commemorating Baal, Aqhat, and the Rephaim; and early biblical poetry, including the battle hymn of Judges 5 and the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1. Smith's Poetic Heroes analyzes the importance of heroic poetry in early Israel and its disappearance after the time of David, building on several strands of scholarship in archaeological research, poetic analysis, and cultural reconstruction.

Poetic Heroes

Poetic Heroes PDF Author: Mark S. Smith
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 0802867928
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 660

Get Book Here

Book Description
Warfare exerts a magnetic power, even a terrible attraction, in its emphasis on glory, honor, and duty. In order to face the terror of war, it is necessary to face how our biblical traditions have made it attractive -- even alluring. In this book Mark Smith undertakes an extensive exploration of "poetic heroes" across a number of ancient cultures in order to understand the attitudes of those cultures toward war and warriors. Smith examines the Iliad and the Gilgamesh; Ugaritic poems commemorating Baal, Aqhat, and the Rephaim; and early biblical poetry, including the battle hymn of Judges 5 and the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1. Smith's Poetic Heroes analyzes the importance of heroic poetry in early Israel and its disappearance after the time of David, building on several strands of scholarship in archaeological research, poetic analysis, and cultural reconstruction.

Heroic Poets, Poetic Heroes

Heroic Poets, Poetic Heroes PDF Author: Dwight F. Reynolds
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501723235
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
An astonishingly rich oral epic that chronicles the early history of a Bedouin tribe, the Sirat Bani Hilal has been performed for almost a thousand years. In this ethnography of a contemporary community of professional poet-singers, Dwight F. Reynolds reveals how the epic tradition continues to provide a context for social interaction and commentary. Reynolds’s account is based on performances in the northern Egyptian village in which he studied as an apprentice to a master epic-singer. Reynolds explains in detail the narrative structure of the Sirat Bani Hilal as well as the tradition of epic singing. He sees both living epic poets and fictional epic heroes as figures engaged in an ongoing dialogue with audiences concerning such vital issues as ethnicity, religious orientation, codes of behavior, gender roles, and social hierarchies.

Heroic Poets, Poetic Heroes

Heroic Poets, Poetic Heroes PDF Author: Dwight F. Reynolds
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501723227
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
No detailed description available for "Heroic Poets, Poetic Heroes".

Poet and Hero in the Persian Book of Kings

Poet and Hero in the Persian Book of Kings PDF Author: Olga M. Davidson
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501733974
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
A masterpiece of Persian Classical epic, the Shahnama or Book of Kings was composed by Abu'l-Qasem Ferdowsi at the beginning of the eleventh century. Because the Shahnama presents itself as a chronicle of the reigns of the shahs from the primordial founders to the Sasanian dynasty which ended in 651, scholarly attention has centered on the question of its historical accuracy. Addressing the literary as well as the historical and mythological aspects of the Shahnama, Olga M. Davidson makes this centerpiece of Iranian culture accessible to Western readers. Drawing on recent work in epic studies and oral poetics, Davidson considers analogies with Classical and medieval European narratives as she investigates the poem's social contexts. Her interpretation of the Shahnama focuses on both the figure of the poet himself and on his protagonists-the superhuman hero Rostam and the historical or historicized shahs. Exploring the Shahnama as an example of court poetry designed to glorify the idea of empire, Davidson identifies as a driving force of Ferdowsi's narrative a strong current of antagonism between king and hero. Ironically, she shows, it is the epic hero himself who poses the greatest threat to the concept of kingship that he is sworn to defend. Poet and Hero in the Persian Book of Kings will be welcomed by readers working in such fields as comparative literature, Middle Eastern Studies, folklore, literary theory, and comparative religion.

Icelandic Poetry

Icelandic Poetry PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Edda Sæmundar
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description


Heroic Poets and Poetic Heroes in Celtic Tradition

Heroic Poets and Poetic Heroes in Celtic Tradition PDF Author: Joseph Falaky Nagy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
This volume, a double issue of the CSANA Yearbook, containing articles from some of the leading scholars in Irish, Welsh, and medieval studies, honors Patrick K. Ford, the retiring Margaret Brooks Robinson Professor of Celtic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, and a founding member of the Celtic Studies Association of North America.

The Poet-Hero in the Work of Byron and Shelley

The Poet-Hero in the Work of Byron and Shelley PDF Author: Madeleine Callaghan
Publisher: Anthem Press
ISBN: 1783088982
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
Byron’s and Shelley’s experimentation with the possibilities and pitfalls of poetic heroism unites their work. The Poet-Hero in the Work of Byron and Shelley traces the evolution of the poet-hero in the work of both poets, revealing that the struggle to find words adequate to the poet’s imaginative vision and historical circumstance is their central poetic achievement. Madeleine Callaghan explores the different types of poetic heroism that evolve in Byron’s and Shelley’s poetry and drama. Both poets experiment with, challenge and embrace a variety of poetic forms and genres, and this book discusses such generic exploration in the light of their developing versions of the poet-hero. The heroism of the poet, as an idea, an ideal and an illusion, undergoes many different incarnations and definitions as both poets shape distinctive and changing conceptions of the hero throughout their careers.

Poets as Heroes of Epic and Dramatic Works in German Literature

Poets as Heroes of Epic and Dramatic Works in German Literature PDF Author: Allen Wilson Porterfield
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Poets
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description


The Poetic Edda

The Poetic Edda PDF Author: Henry Adams Bellows
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486140601
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
This vibrant compilation presents the heroic sagas of ancient Scandinavia. Its timeless legends of superhuman warriors and doomed lovers have inspired Wagner's "Ring Cycle" and Tolkien's "Middle-earth."

The Elder Edda

The Elder Edda PDF Author: Andy Orchard
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141943475
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 540

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Book Description
Compiled by an unknown scribe in Iceland around 1270, and based on sources dating back centuries earlier, these mythological and heroic poems tell of gods and mortals from an ancient era: the giant-slaying Thor, the doomed Völsung family, the Hel-ride of Brynhild and the cruelty of Atli the Hun. Eclectic, incomplete and fragmented, these verses nevertheless retain their stark beauty and their power to enthrall, opening a window on to the thoughts, beliefs and hopes of the Vikings and their world.