Conversations: How Women Became Poets, Gender History in Greek Literature w/ Emily Hauser
Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! Greek & Roman Mythology Retold
Deep Dive
Why did Emily Hauser decide to write both fiction and academic works about Greek literature?
Emily Hauser wanted to make classics accessible and exciting to a wider audience, particularly young people. She felt that writing fiction allowed her to break down the boundaries of traditional academic scholarship and reach a broader audience while still demonstrating her philological expertise.
How did Emily Hauser balance writing her PhD dissertation and her fiction novels?
Hauser wrote her dissertation in the mornings and her novels in the afternoons during her PhD at Yale. She kept her fiction writing a secret from her dissertation advisor to avoid potential judgment from the academic field.
What was the starting point for Emily Hauser's book 'How Women Became Poets'?
The starting point was Hauser's realization that Sappho, a renowned ancient Greek poet, did not have a specific word to describe herself as a poet in her own language. This absence of a feminine term for a poet suggested a deliberate exclusion of women from the poetic tradition.
Why is the absence of a feminine term for a poet significant in ancient Greek literature?
The absence of a feminine term for a poet indicates a deliberate strategy to exclude women from the poetic tradition. Even though women like Sappho were recognized for their excellence, they were never given the same terms as male poets, suggesting a gendered ring fencing of the poetic profession.
How does the Homeric Hymn to Hermes reflect the gendered nature of poetry in ancient Greece?
In the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, Hermes invents the lyre by disemboweling a tortoise, which Hauser interprets as a rape metaphor. The hymn suggests that women's access to poetic power is violently taken by men and turned into an instrument for male voices, symbolizing the silencing of women in the poetic tradition.
What is the significance of the word 'aeidos' in the context of ancient Greek poetry?
The word 'aeidos' means 'singer man' and is gendered male. It was used by Homer and Hesiod to describe the bard, but it could also be used in a feminine context, as seen in Hesiod's fable of the nightingale. This word's gendered nature highlights the masculine framing of the poetic profession.
How does Euripides challenge the gendered norms of ancient Greek poetry?
Euripides uses the word 'aeidos' in the feminine form in his plays, which is unusual for the time. He also creates complex female characters like Medea, who challenge societal norms but ultimately get pushed into the role of the monstrous other, reflecting the tension between his desire to portray women as real people and the constraints of his society.
What does the term 'musopoios' signify in relation to Sappho?
The term 'musopoios' means 'music maker' and was used by Herodotus to describe Sappho. However, Sappho herself used the term 'musopolos,' which means 'attendant of the muses.' This shift from 'attendant' to 'maker' by Herodotus suggests a deliberate effort to strip Sappho of her poetic agency and reduce her role to that of a passive inspirer rather than an active poet.
How does Penelope's role in the Odyssey reflect the broader treatment of women in ancient Greek literature?
Penelope is silenced by Telemachus in the Odyssey when she tries to influence the bard's song. This moment reflects the broader exclusion of women from the realm of myth and poetry, as Telemachus asserts that 'mythos' (myth) is for men, not women. Penelope's silencing is emblematic of the way women were excluded from the poetic and mythological traditions.
What is the significance of the Bronze Age in Emily Hauser's upcoming book 'Mythica/Penelope's Bones'?
Hauser's book focuses on the historical women of the Bronze Age and how their experiences inform the myths that later arose. By starting with the Bronze Age, she challenges the notion that the age of heroes in Homer was devoid of feminine influence and argues that women were central to the historical and mythological narratives of ancient Greece.
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