The Retrospective Muse

The Retrospective Muse showcases the celebrated work of Froma Zeitlin. Her instantly recognizable work, that brings together anthropology, gender studies, cultural studies, and an acute literary sensibility, opened a series of ancient texts and ideas to new forms of understanding. A selection of these luminous essays, on topics still timely today, are brought together for the first time in a volume which shows the full range and flair of her remarkable intellect. Together, these illuminating analyses show why Zeitlin's work on ancient Greek culture has had so enduring an impact on scholars across the world, not just in Classics but across multiple fields. From Homer to the Greek novel, from religion to erotics, from myth and ritual to theatrical performance, she expounds here some of the most important works of ancient writing, and some of modernity's most significant critical questions. Zeitlin's writing still sheds light on the durable aspects of Classics as a discipline—and this book encapsulates her achievement.