Becoming Achilles: Child-Sacrifice, War, and Misrule in the Iliad and Beyond (Greek Studies: Interdisciplinary Approaches)

Annotation Viewing the Iliad and myth through the lens of modern psychology, in Becoming Achilles: Child-Sacrifice, War, and Misrule in the Iliad and Beyond, Richard Holway shows how the epic underwrites individual and communal catharsis and denial. Sacrificial childrearing generates but also threatens agonistic, glory-seeking ancient Greek cultures. Not only aggression but knowledge of sacrificial parenting must be purged. Just as Zeus contrives to have threats to his regime play out harmlessly (to him) in the mortal realm, so the Iliad dramatizes threats to Archaic and later Greek cultures in the safe arena of poetic performance. The epic represents in displaced form destructive mother-son and father-daughter liaisons and resulting strife within and between generations. Holway calls into question the Iliads (and many scholars) presentation of Achilles as a hero who speaks truth to power, learns through suffering, and exemplifies kingly virtues that Agamemnon lacks. So too the Iliads cathartic process, whether conceived as purging innate aggression or arriving at moral clarity. Instead, Holway argues, Achilles (and Socrates) try to prove they are not what at bottom they experience themselves to beneedy, defenseless children, who fear to acknowledge, much less speak out against, parents' use of them to meet parents' needs. What emerges from Holways analysis is not only a new reading of the Iliad, from its first word to its last, but a revised account of the family dynamics underlying ancient Greek cultures

Viewing the Iliad and myth through the lens of modern psychology, Richard Holway shows in Becoming Achilles: Child-Sacrifice, War, and Misrule in the Iliad and Beyond how the epic underwrites individual and communal catharsis and denial. Sacrificial childrearing generates but also threatens agonistic, glory-seeking ancient Greek cultures. Not only aggression but also knowledge of sacrificial parenting must be purged.

Just as Zeus contrives to have threats to his regime play out harmlessly (to him) in the mortal realm, so the Iliad dramatizes threats to Archaic and later Greek cultures in the safe arena of poetic performance. The epic represents in displaced form destructive mother-son and father-daughter liaisons and the resulting strife within and between generations.

Holway calls into question the Iliad's (and many scholars') presentation of Achilles as a hero who speaks truth to power, learns through suffering, and exemplifies the kingly virtues that Agamemnon lacks. So too the Iliad's cathartic process, whether conceived as purging innate aggression or arriving at moral clarity. Instead, Holway argues, Achilles (and Socrates) try to prove they are the opposite of needy, defenseless children, who fear to acknowledge, much less speak out against, their sacrifice to parents' needs.

What emerges from Holway's analysis is not only a new reading of the Iliad, from its first word to its last, but a revised account of the family dynamics underlying ancient Greek cultures.

"Viewing the Iliad and myth through the lens of modern psychology, in Becoming Achilles: Child-Sacrifice, War, and Misrule in the lliad and Beyond Richard Holway shows how the epic underwrites individual and communal catharsis and denial. Sacrificial childrearing generates but also threatens agonistic, glory-seeking ancient Greek cultures. Not only aggression but knowledge of sacrificial parenting must be purged. Just as Zeus contrives to have threats to his regime play out harmlessly (to him) in the mortal realm, so the Iliad dramatizes threats to Archaic and later Greek cultures in the safe arena of poetic performance. The epic represents in displaced form destructive mother-son and father-daughter liaisons and resulting strifewithin and between generations. Holway calls into question the Iliad's (and many scholars') presentation of Achilles as a hero who speaks truth to power, learns through suffering, and exemplifies kingly virtues that Agamemnon lacks. So too the Iliad's cathartic process, whether conceived as purging innate aggression or arriving at moral clarity. Instead, Holway argues, Achilles (and Socrates) try to prove they are unlike needy, defenseless children, who fear to acknowledge, much less speak out against, parents' use of them to meet parents' needs. What emerges from Holway's analysis is not only a new reading of the Iliad, from its first word to its last, but a revised account of the family dynamics underlying ancient Greek cultures"--Provided by publisher Viewing the Iliad and myth through the lens of modern psychology, Richard Holway shows how the epic underwrites individual and communal catharsis and denial. Sacrificial childrearing generates but also threatens competitive, glory-seeking ancient Greek cultures. Not only aggression but knowledge of sacrificial parenting must be purged. Just as Zeus contrives to have threats to his regime play out harmlessly (to him) in the mortal realm, so the Iliad dramatizes threats to Archaic and later Greek cultures in the safe arena of poetic performance. The epic represents in displaced form destructive mother-son and father-daughter liaisons and resulting strife within and between generations. Holway calls into question the Iliad's (and many scholars') presentation of Achilles as a hero who speaks truth to power, learns through suffering, and exemplifies kingly virtues that Agamemnon lacks. So too the Iliad's cathartic process, whether conceived as purging innate aggression or arriving at moral clarity. Instead, Holway argues, Achilles (and Socrates) try to prove they are the opposite of needy, defenseless children, who fear to acknowledge, much less speak out against, their sacrifice to parents' needs. What emerges from Holway's analysis is not only a new reading of the Iliad, from its first word to its last, but a revised account of the family dynamics underlying ancient Greek cultures. Viewing the Iliad and myth through the lens of modern psychology, Richard Holway exposes sacrificial childrearing practices at the root of competitive, glory-seeking ancient Greek cultures. The Iliad dramatizes and cathartically purges not only strife within and between generations but knowledge of sacrificial parenting. Holway's analysis yields a new reading of the Iliad , from its first word to its last, and a revised account of the family dynamics underlying ancient Greek cultures. Chapter 1 IntroductionChapter 1. The QuarrelChapter 2. Heroic PsychologyChapter 3. MythobiographiesChapter 4. Catharsis and DenialChapter 5. Fathers and SonsChapter 6. Mothers and SonsChapter 7. Departures from Maternal AgendasChapter 8. Self in CrisisEpilogue: Achilles and SocratesBibliography The Quarrel -- Heroic Psychology -- Mythobiographies -- Catharsis And Denial -- Fathers And Sons -- Mothers And Sons -- Departures From Maternal Agendas -- Self In Crisis. Richard Holway. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The quarrel Heroic psychology Mythobiographies Catharsis and denial Fathers and sons Mothers and sons Departures from maternal agendas Self in crisis Epilogue: Achilles and Socrates.