Athens in Paris
Ancient Greece and the Political in Post-War French Thought
Published on 6. October 2005
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-19-927725-4 (ISBN)
Description
Athens in Paris explores the ways in which the writings of the ancient Greeks played a decisive part in shaping the intellectual projects of structuralism and post-structuralism - arguably the most significant currents of thought of the post-war era. Miriam Leonard argues that thinkers in post-war France turned to the example of Athenian democracy in their debates over the role of political subjectivity and ethical choice in the life of the modern citizen. The authors she investigates, who include Lacan, Derrida, Foucault, and Vernant, have had an incalculable influence on the direction of classical studies over the last thirty years, but classicists have yet to give due attention to the crucial role of the ancient world in the development of their philosophy.
Reviews / Votes
Leonard manages in this tour de force section of the book to keep several balls juggled at once, but returns elegantly and faithfully to her main point... dense and thought-provoking * Richard H. Armstrong, Journal of Hellenic Studies * Leonard proffers an astute analysis of both aporia and heritage * Cahman Kerr Prince, Bryn Mawr Classical Review * a young scholar's impressively ardent account of more measured Parisian bagarres, between scholars and philosophes ... and of their competitive re-visions of ancient Greek myths and texts. * Frederic Raphael, Books of the Year, TLS * Leonard's book, inaugurating a new series from Oxford, Classical Presences, is a tour-de-force: intelligent, challenging and deeply reflected. * R.L. Gordon, Times Literary Supplement * Leonard concisely and successfully presents the reception of Greek texts as being at the core of the political debates in post-war French thought. * Hector Kollias, French Studies, Vol. LXI, No. 2 *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Scholars and students of the classics, critical theory, comparative literature, French history and culture, politics, intellectual and cultural history, gender studies, philosophy.
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
524 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-927725-4 (9780199277254)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Miriam Leonard is Lecturer in Classics, University of Bristol.
Content
Introduction ; 1. Oedipus and the Political Subject ; 2. Antigone between Ethics and Politics ; 3. Socrates and the Analytic City ; Epilogue: Reception and the Political