Medusa: In the Mirror of Time
- ISBN-10
- 1780231334
- ISBN-13
- 9781780231334
- Series
- Medusa
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 128
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2013-06-01
- Publisher
- Reaktion Books
- Author
- David Leeming
Description
With her repulsive face and head full of living, venomous snakes, Medusa is petrifying—quite literally, since looking directly at her turned people to stone. Ever since Perseus cut off her head and presented it to Athena, she has been a woman of many forms: a dangerous female monster that had to be destroyed, an erotic power that could annihilate men, and, thanks to Freud, a woman whose hair was a nest of terrifying penises that signaled castration. She has been immortalized by artists from Leonardo da Vinci to Salvador Dalí and was the emblem of the Jacobins after the French Revolution. Today, she’s viewed by feminists as a noble victim of patriarchy and used by Versace in the designer’s logo for men’s underwear, haute couture, and exotic dinnerware. She even gives her name to a sushi roll on a Disney resort menu. Why does Medusa continue to have this power to transfix us? David Leeming seeks to answer this question in Medusa, a biography of the mythical creature. Searching for the origins of Medusa’s myth in cultures that predate ancient Greece, Leeming explores how and why the mythical figure of the gorgon has become one of the most important and enduring ideas in human history. From an oil painting by Caravaggio to Clash of the Titans and Dungeons and Dragons, he delves into the many depictions of Medusa, ultimately revealing that her story is a cultural dream that continues to change and develop with each new era. Asking what the evolution of the Medusa myth discloses about our culture and ourselves, this book paints an illuminating portrait of a woman who has never ceased to enthrall.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon
By Stephen R. WilkIn this fascinating study of the legend of Medusa, Stephen R. Wilk begins by refamiliarizing readers with the story through ancient authors and classical artwork, then looks at the interpretations that have been given of the meaning of the ...
-
Myth-O-Mania: Say Cheese, Medusa!
By Kate McMullanAnyone who looked at her was instantly turned to stone. But she wasn't born that way. Not even close. Athena was so jealous of Medusa's beauty that she cursed her. Zeus changed the story to make his son, Perseus, look good.
-
Perseus and Medusa
By Blake A. HoenaIn this graphic retelling of the Greek myth, young Perseus is ordered to slay Medusa, a monster whose gaze turns men into solid stone.
-
The Medusa Reader
By Marjorie Garber, Nancy J. VickersThis collection, with a critical introduction and striking illustrations, is the first major anthology of primary material and critical commentary on this most provocative and enigmatic of figures.
-
The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher
By Lewis ThomasIn these essays and others, Thomas once again conveys his observations of the scientific world in prose marked by wonder and wit.
-
Medusa the Mean
By Joan Holub, Suzanne WilliamsSeeking to become immortal like the other Goddess Girls, Medusa searches for a magical necklace, an effort that is compromised by her mean reputation, her snaky hair, and unexpected consequences.
-
Medusa
By Rosie HewlettGorgon. Killer. Monster. Victim. Survivor. Protector. Medusa breathes new life into an ancient story and echoes the battle that women throughout millennia have continued to wage.
-
Medusa
By Deborah Nourse LattimoreMedusa was born the only beautiful daughter to the ugliest sea witch ever to inhabit the depths of the ocean. Her looks were radiant enough to gain the adoration of...
-
Medusa
By Jessie BurtonA dazzling, lyrical YA retelling of Greek myth, from Jessie Burton, internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse. "A powerfully feminist, elegiac, and original twist on this old story.
-
Medusa
By Clive Cussler, Paul KemprecosAfter an undersea lab conducting research on a rare jellyfish known as the Blue Medusa mysteriously disappears and a bathysphere harboring Joe Zavala is attacked by an underwater vehicle and left helpless on the sea floor, Kurt Austin puts ...