Marianne Govers HopmanCambridge University PressEdition: Reprint, 6/23/2016EAN 9781107608511, ISBN10: 1107608511Paperback, 322 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cmLanguage: EnglishWhat's in a name? Using the example of a famous monster from Greek myth, this book challenges the dominant view that a mythical symbol denotes a single, clear-cut 'figure' and proposes instead to define the name 'Scylla' as a combination of three concepts - sea, dog and woman - whose articulation changes over time. While archaic and classical Greek versions usually emphasize the metaphorical coherence of Scylla's components, the name is increasingly treated as a well-defined but also paradoxical construct from the late fourth century BCE onward. Proceeding through detailed analyses of Greek and Roman texts and images, Professor Hopman shows how the same name can variously express anxieties about the sea, dogs, aggressive women and shy maidens, thus offering an empirical response to the semiotic puzzle raised by non-referential proper names.IntroductionPart I. Scylla in the Odyssey1. The impregnable monster2. A poetic hazard3. The gullet of the sea4. Puzzles and riddlesPart II. Scylla in Classical Greece5. A feminine composite6. Scylla as Femme Fatale7. The untamed maidenPart III. Scylla in Hellenistic Greece and Rome8. Rationalizing the monster9. Organizing the tradition10. Roman versions of a Greek myth11. Psychology and re-semanticization in Ovid's MetamorphosesEpilogue.
