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Overview"This book provides a thoroughly documented discussion of ancient Roman ideologies of masculinity and sexuality with a focus on ancient representations of sexual experience between males. It gathers a wide range of evidence from the second century B.C. to the second century A.D.--above all from such literary texts as courtroom speeches, love poetry, philosophy, epigram, and history, but also graffiti and other inscriptions as well as artistic artifacts--and uses that evidence to reconstruct the contexts within which Roman texts were created and had their meaning. The book takes as its starting point the thesis that in order to understand the Roman material, we must make the effort to set aside any preconceptions we might have regarding sexuality, masculinity, and effeminacy.Williams' book argues in detail that for the writers and readers of Roman texts, the important distinctions were drawn not between homosexual and heterosexual, but between free and slave, dominant and subordinate, masculin and effeminate as conceived in specifically Roman terms. Other important questions addressed by this book include the differences between Roman and Greek practices and ideologies; the influence exerted by distinctively Roman ideals of austerity; the ways in which deviations from the norms of masculine sexual practice were negotiated both in the arena of public discourse and in real men's lives; the relationship between the rhetoric of ""nature"" and representations of sexual practices; and the extent to which same-sex marriages were publicly accepted." Full Product DetailsAuthor: Craig A. Williams (Assistant Professor of Classics, Assistant Professor of Classics, Brooklyn College, City University of New York)Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc Dimensions: Width: 23.60cm , Height: 3.10cm , Length: 16.00cm Weight: 0.721kg ISBN: 9780195113006ISBN 10: 0195113004 Pages: 416 Publication Date: 15 July 1999 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Replaced By: 9780195388749 Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: To order Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us. Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Roman Traditions: Slaves, Prostitutes, and Wives 2: Greece and Rome 3: The Concept of Stuprum 4: Effeminacy and Masculinity 5: Sexual Roles and Identities ConclusionsReviewsA landmark work of scholarship and should prove accessible to scholars of all disciplines American Historical Review Williams presents a wealth of material that will intrigue the contemporary reader with its strangeness American Historical Review Extraordinary clarity and persuasiveness ... this book may do more for the understanding of classical sexuality than any since Kenneth Dover's Greek Homosexuality of twenty years ago W. V. Harris, Times Literary Supplement A landmark work of scholarship and should prove accessible to scholars of all disciplines American Historical Review Williams presents a wealth of material that will intrigue the contemporary reader with its strangeness American Historical Review Extraordinary clarity and persuasiveness ... this book may do more for the understanding of classical sexuality than any since Kenneth Dover's Greek Homosexuality of twenty years ago W. V. Harris, Times Literary Supplement Author InformationTab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |