Eating to Excess: The Meaning of Gluttony and the Fat Body in the Ancient World (Praeger Series on the Ancient World)

This provocative book explores how ancient notions about the fat body and the glutton in western culture both challenge and confirm ideas about what it means to be overweight and gluttonous today.People in the ancient western world made a distinction between being fat and being a glutton, even when they valued self-control and criticized excessive behavior. Examining many works of early western cultures, this book shows how ancient views both confirm and challenge our contemporary assumptions about fat bodies and gluttons.Eating to Excess: The Meaning of Gluttony and the Fat Body in the Ancient World explores the historical roots of the symbolic relationship between fatness, gluttony, and immorality in western culture. It includes chapters on Greek philosophy, medicine, and physiognomy; Greek and Roman popular culture; early Christianity; and the development of gluttony as one of the seven deadly sins. By examining ancient ideas about gluttony and fat bodies, the author offers new insight into what it means to be human in the western world. This provocative book explores how ancient notions about the fat body and the glutton in western culture both challenge and confirm ideas about what it means to be overweight and gluttonous today. People in the ancient western world made a distinction between being fat and being a glutton, even when they valued self-control and criticized excessive behavior. Examining many works of early western cultures, this book shows how ancient views both confirm and challenge our contemporary assumptions about fat bodies and gluttons. Eating to The Meaning of Gluttony and the Fat Body in the Ancient World explores the historical roots of the symbolic relationship between fatness, gluttony, and immorality in western culture. It includes chapters on Greek philosophy, medicine, and physiognomy; Greek and Roman popular culture; early Christianity; and the development of gluttony as one of the seven deadly sins. By examining ancient ideas about gluttony and fat bodies, the author offers new insight into what it means to be human in the western world. Contents......Page 6 Illustrations......Page 8 Series Foreword......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Chronology of Important Dates......Page 14 Introduction: The Glutton and the Fat Body in the Ancient World......Page 18 1. “All Fat Is the Lord’s”......Page 38 2. Philosophizing Excess in Plato And Aristotle......Page 60 3. Inside and Out: Medicine, Health, and Physiognomy in the Ancient World......Page 80 4. Popular Gluttons and Fat Bodies: The Trickster Herakles, Petronius’s Satyricon, and Athenaeus’s: The Learned Banqueters......Page 98 5. Ingest the Word, Not the World: Early Christian Ideas of Excess and Self-Restraint......Page 120 6. Gluttony Becomes a Deadly Sin......Page 138 Epilogue......Page 162 Notes......Page 166 Further Reading......Page 186 C......Page 190 G......Page 191 J......Page 192 O......Page 193 S......Page 194 W......Page 195 People in the ancient western world made a distinction between being fat and being a glutton, even when they valued self-control and criticized excessive behavior. Examining many works of early western cultures, this book shows how ancient views both confirm and challenge our contemporary assumptions about fat bodies and gluttons. Eating to Excess: The Meaning of Gluttony and the Fat Body in the Ancient World explores the historical roots of the symbolic relationship between fatness, gluttony, and immorality in western culture. It includes chapters on Greek philosophy, medicine, and physiognomy; Greek and Roman popular culture; early Christianity; and the development of gluttony as one of the seven deadly sins. By examining ancient ideas about gluttony and fat bodies, the author offers new insight into what it means to be human in the western world This Provocative Book Explores How Ancient Notions About The Fat Body And The Glutton In Western Culture Both Challenge And Confirm Ideas About What It Means To Be Overweight And Gluttonous Today--provided By Publisher. This Book Is About Eating To Excess - The Meaning Of Gluttony And The Fat Body In The Ancient World--provided By Publisher. Susan E. Hill. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.