Transformations of Circe: The History of an EnchantressBeginning with a detailed study of Homer's balance of negative and positive elements in the Circe-Odysseus myth, Judith Yarnall employs text and illustrations to demonstrate how Homer's Circe is connected with age-old traditions of goddess worship. She then examines how the image of a one-sided "witch," who first appeared in the commentary of Homer's allegorical interpreters, proved remarkably persistent, influencing Virgil and Ovid. Yarnall concludes with a discussion of work by Margaret Atwood and Eudora Welty in which the enchantress at last speaks in her own voice: that of a woman isolated by, but unashamed of, her power. |
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Transformations of Circe: the history of an enchantress
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictThe ancient goddess Circe is best remembered as the enchantress who tempted the mighty Odysseus and turned some of his unfortunate crew into swine in Homer's Odyssey . In this work, Yarnall ... Read full review
Contents
Homers Story | 9 |
Where Did Circe Come From? | 26 |
From Myth to Allegory | 53 |
The Legacy of Allegory | 79 |
Renaissance Circes | 99 |
Spenser the Witch and the Goddesses | 127 |
The Lovelorn Temptress | 145 |
Whore and Femme Fatale | 163 |
Her Voice | 182 |
Transformations | 194 |
Notes | 201 |
| 223 | |
| 239 | |
Common terms and phrases
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Transformations of Circe: The History of an Enchantress |
| Author | Judith Yarnall |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | University of Illinois Press, 1994 |
| ISBN | 0252063562, 9780252063565 |
| Length | 245 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |