
In the Footsteps of the Gods
Travellers to Greece and the Quest for the Hellenic Ideal
David Constantine(Author)
I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. (Publisher)
Published on 18. January 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-84885-545-8 (ISBN)
Description
In the Footsteps of the Gods traces the ways in which the constantly changing ideal image of ancient Greece, its art, politics and culture, inspired those who travelled there.
Gladiators and goddesses, philosophers and poets, epic battles and romantic landscapes: the classical world has for centuries captivated and inspired the west. But what provoked the shift from the western world's love-affair with classical Rome and its manifestation in the Renaissance, to the Hellenic world?
The decisive switch in focus and taste from Rome to Greece began in the 17th century, when a succession of travellers - mainly from France and England - journeyed to Greece and what is now Turkey and rediscovered the Hellenic world.
With lively accounts of their adventurous journeys and vivid descriptions of what they saw, discovered, collected and published about the remains of ancient Greece, In the Footsteps of the Gods reveals the extraordinary effects that these travellers' accounts had on the poets and scholars of the west, who in turn were influential in creating the idea and ideal of Greece, which became such a powerful force in the arts and politics of the 18th and early 19th centuries.
At the heart of the book is, in the words of the classicist, Richard Stoneman, 'a poet's vision of Greece'.
Gladiators and goddesses, philosophers and poets, epic battles and romantic landscapes: the classical world has for centuries captivated and inspired the west. But what provoked the shift from the western world's love-affair with classical Rome and its manifestation in the Renaissance, to the Hellenic world?
The decisive switch in focus and taste from Rome to Greece began in the 17th century, when a succession of travellers - mainly from France and England - journeyed to Greece and what is now Turkey and rediscovered the Hellenic world.
With lively accounts of their adventurous journeys and vivid descriptions of what they saw, discovered, collected and published about the remains of ancient Greece, In the Footsteps of the Gods reveals the extraordinary effects that these travellers' accounts had on the poets and scholars of the west, who in turn were influential in creating the idea and ideal of Greece, which became such a powerful force in the arts and politics of the 18th and early 19th centuries.
At the heart of the book is, in the words of the classicist, Richard Stoneman, 'a poet's vision of Greece'.
Reviews / Votes
In his excellent study, David Constantine traces the course of Europe's discovery of Greece in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He not only captures the pioneering excitement but makes an interesting contribution to the history of ideas. A worthy and delightful celebration of the Hellenic ideal in its many guises. -- William St Clair * TLS *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
8 integrated black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
280 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84885-545-8 (9781848855458)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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David Constantine
In the Footsteps of the Gods
Travellers to Greece and the Quest for the Hellenic Ideal
E-Book
01/2011
1st Edition
Tauris Parke Paperbacks
€13.99
Available for download
Person
David Constantine was for thirty years a university teacher of German language and literature. He has published several volumes of poetry, including Nine Fathom Deep; also a novel, Davies, and three collections of short stories, including The Shieling. He is a translator and editor of Holderlin, Goethe, Kleist and Brecht. His translation of Goethe's Faust was published by Penguin. With his wife Helen he edits Modern Poetry in Translation.
Content
Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Map
Chronology of Travellers
Preface
Introduction
1. The 1670s. Spon and Wheler
2. Chishull and Tournefort
3. Robert Wood
4. Heyne and Winckelmann
5. Wincklemann and Greece
6. Wincklemann and Riedesel
7. Pierre Augustin Guys
8. The Insurrection of 1770
9. Richard Chandler's Expedition
Conclusion
Appendix: Homer's Tomb
Notes
Bibliography of Works Used
Index
Acknowledgements
Map
Chronology of Travellers
Preface
Introduction
1. The 1670s. Spon and Wheler
2. Chishull and Tournefort
3. Robert Wood
4. Heyne and Winckelmann
5. Wincklemann and Greece
6. Wincklemann and Riedesel
7. Pierre Augustin Guys
8. The Insurrection of 1770
9. Richard Chandler's Expedition
Conclusion
Appendix: Homer's Tomb
Notes
Bibliography of Works Used
Index