1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Image of Women in Ancient Greek Literature, especially in Epics and Tragedy
| Project/Area Number |
07610531
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
文学一般(含文学論・比較文学)・西洋古典
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| Research Institution | Ichimura Gakuen College |
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Principal Investigator |
NISHIMURA Yoshiko Department of Culture and Domestics Science, Assistant Professor, 生活文化学科, 助教授 (30180649)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1995 – 1997
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| Keywords | Homeric Poems / Women / Gender |
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| Research Abstract |
What is attained during the three-year research term does not necessarily cover all that was aimed at the first stage. The first plans included elucidation of the images of women in the two different genres of epics and tragedy. In the end, tragedy was excluded from the rage of the investigation and only the female images in Homeric and Hesiodic poems were explained in the research. But it is true that it has produced successful results.
It is often pointed out that the images of women in Homer are quite different from those of Hesiod. One of the aims of my research is to make clear from what the difference was derived. This investigation has thrown new light upon the question : it does not result from the difference of social class of the poets or the audience and readers, as is sometimes said, but it depends on the poets' eyes, friendly or hostile, with which they looked at women.
The following should be mentioned as the good results of the research. First, the images of women in the two Homeric poems are not always coherent : those in the Iliad and in the Odyssey are clearly different. Secondly, although Homeric poems seem to have nothing to do with notorious misogyne, on which Hesiod put emphasis in his poems, nevertheless the Iliad and the Odyssey are not free from the gender bias and ideology because the poems reflect the reality of the age. In the third, Homer reveals the fact that his deep love for human beings is devoted to women as well, who were obviously discriminated in the Homeric society.
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