Notice bibliographique
- Notice
Type(s) de contenu et mode(s) de consultation : Texte noté : sans médiation
Auteur(s) : Houseman, Victoria (1969-....)
Titre(s) : American classicist [Texte imprimé] : the life and loves of Edith Hamilton / Victoria Houseman
Publication : Princeton (N.J.) : Princeton University Press, copyright 2023
Description matérielle : 1 vol. (xxx-491 p.) : ill. ; 25 cm
Note(s) : Notes bibliogr. Bibliogr. p. 455-474. Index
"Edith Hamilton (1867-1963), famed popularizer of the classics, whose books include
Mythology and The Greek Way, introduced millions-literally millions-of general readers
and young adults to the myths and culture of the Greco-Roman world. In the middle
of the 20th century, she was arguably the most visible and widely read person on classics
and mythology. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College and then a successful teacher and administrator
at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Hamilton became well known to the public only
when she was in her sixties. Her writings, written with a middle-American audience
in mind, were intended to introduce general readers to a world of antiquity previously
thought to be only the purview of those with knowledge of ancient languages. Her most
successful book, Mythology, remains the most popular book of its kind and, like The
Greek Way and The Roman Way, has never gone out of print. Houseman recounts Hamilton's
life of ninety-five years, beginning with her childhood introduction to the study
of Latin and Greek under her father's tutelage. Houseman explores the intellectual
influences upon her, emphasizing in particular the nineteenth-century British thinkers
whose work she encountered during her years as a student at Bryn Mawr, including Matthew
Arnold and Edward Caird. It also tells the story of the two romantic relationships
that shaped her life. The first was with Lucy Martin Donnelly, an English professor
whose intellectual and aesthetic tastes made a profound impact upon Hamilton. The
second, and more enduring, was with Doris Fielding Reid, with whom Hamilton lived
for over forty years and with whom she raised a family composed of Reid's nephews
and nieces. The biography also describes Hamilton's friendships with writers such
as Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound, as well as with Senator Ralph E. Flanders, who led
the movement in the Senate to censure Joseph McCarthy and inspired Hamilton's depiction
of Demosthenes in her final book, The Echo of Greece. Houseman also situates Edith
Hamilton's writing in relation to contemporary events such as the Great Depression,
the rise of fascism, American involvement in the Second World War, the dropping of
the atomic bombs, and American foreign policy during the Cold War, among others. She
argues that Hamilton's writing and themes were often a response to these events. Even
Mythology, intended as a modern version of Bulfinch's Mythology, was partly written
during the fascist Italian invasion of Greece and makes many arguments for the special
claims of Greece in Western history. Her work has influenced generations of readers
as well, and was even said to have been a favorite of Robert Kennedy's, who drew on
The Greek Way for inspiration in drafting speeches. The book is intended to be the
definitive biography of a fascinating and daring woman who arguably helped to save
the classics in America. This will be first biography of Hamilton apart from one written
by her partner Doris Fielding which was a mix of memoir and biography. This will also
be the first to draw on Hamilton's letters and other primary sources"
Autre(s) forme(s) du titre :
- Autre forme du titre : Life and loves of Edith Hamilton
Sujet(s) : Hamilton, Edith (1867-1963)
Civilisation classique -- Étude et enseignement -- États-Unis -- 20e siècle
Genre ou forme : Biographie
Indice(s) Dewey : 880.09 (23e éd.) = Littératures classiques (grecque et latine) - Histoire ; 378.009 2 (23e éd.) = Enseignement supérieur - Biographie
Identifiants, prix et caractéristiques : ISBN 978-0-691-23618-6 (rel.). - ISBN 0691236186 (rel.)
Identifiant de la notice : ark:/12148/cb475174020
Notice n° :
FRBNF47517402
(notice reprise d'un réservoir extérieur)
