Goddesses in Myth and Cultural Memory, 1st Edition

.How have the goddesses of ancient myth survived, prevalent even now as literary and cultural icons? How do allegory, symbolic interpretation, and political context transform the goddess from her regional and individual identity into a goddess of philosophy and literature? Emilie Kutash explores these questions, beginning from the premise that cultural memory, a collective cultural and social phenomenon, can last thousands of years. Kutash demonstrates a continuing practice of interpreting and allegorizing ancient myths, tracing these goddesses of archaic origin through history. Chapters follow the goddesses from their ancient near eastern prototypes, to their place in the epic poetry, drama and hymns of classical Greece, to their appearance in Platonic and Neoplatonic philosophy, Medieval allegory, and their association with Christendom. Finally, Kutash considers how goddesses were made into Jungian archetypes, and how some contemporary feminists made them a counterfoil to male divinity, thereby addressing the continued role of goddesses in perpetuating gender binaries.Goddesses in Myth and Cultural Memory 1st Edition is written by Emilie Kutash and published by Bloomsbury Academic. ISBNs for Goddesses in Myth and Cultural Memory are 9780567697400, 0567697401 and the print ISBNs are 9780567697394, 0567697398. Additional ISBNs include 9780567697370.