The Emptiness of Asia

Reviews / Votes

[This] is a literary study of Aeschylus' Persai alongside Herodotus' Histories which will provide the reader with comprehensive understanding what actually happened at the battle of Salamis and afterwards. A scholarly dissection of political and ideological motivating factors underpinning the Persai in the context of the times, The Emptiness of Asia is a fascinating and thoughtfully insightful analysis -- and a welcome addition to Hellenic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists. -- The Midwest Book Review This is a vigorous and captivating book with a mighty sting in its tail. Tom Harrison does what many have done before, he reads Aeschylus' Persai alongside Herodotus' Histories. But...he compares them to reveal the commonplaces and assumptions about Persia that shaped not only the writing of the play, but the reactions of the audiences. The powerful account of the play's political and ideological force that results overturns a century of modern scholarship, unmasking the projections of their own views that literary critics have wished upon the play and questioning our romantic assertion of the uniqueness of classical Athenian culture. -- Robin Osborne