Pindar and the Sublime: Greek Myth, Reception, and Lyric Experience (New Directions in Classics)

Pindar-the 'Theban eagle', as Thomas Gray famously called him-has often been taken as the archetype of the sublime poet: soaring into the heavens on wings of language and inspired by visions of eternity. In this much-anticipated new study, Robert Fowler asks in what ways the concept of the sublime can still guide a reading of the greatest of the Greek lyric poets. Working with ancient and modern treatments of the topic, especially the poetry and writings of Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843), arguably Pindar's greatest modern reader, he develops the case for an aesthetic appreciation of Pindar's odes as literature. Building on recent trends in criticism, he shifts the focus away from the first performance and the orality of Greek culture to reception and the experience of Pindar's odes as text. This change of emphasis yields a fresh discussion of many facets of Pindar's astonishing art, including the relation of the poems to their occasions, performativity, the poet's persona, his imagery, and his myths. Consideration of Pindar's views on divinity, transcendence, time, and the limits of language reveals him to be not only a great writer but a great thinker. "The 'Theban eagle', as Thomas Gray famously called him, Pindar has often been taken as the archetype of the sublime poet: soaring into the heavens on wings of language and inspired by visions of eternity. In this much-anticipated new study, Robert Fowler asks in what ways the concept of the sublime can still guide a reading of the greatest of the Greek lyric poets. Working with ancient and modern treatments of the topic, especially the poetry and writings of Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843), arguably Pindar's greatest modern reader, he develops the case for an aesthetic appreciation of Pindar's odes as literature. Building on recent trends in criticism, he shifts the focus away from the first performance and the orality of Greek culture to reception and the experience of Pindar's odes as text. This change of emphasis yields a fresh discussion of many facets of Pindar's astonishing art, including the relation of the poems to their occasions, performativity, the poet's persona, his imagery, and his myths. Consideration of Pindar's approach to divinity, transcendence, time, and the limits of language reveals him to be not only a great writer but a great thinker".-- Provided by publisher Pindar-the 'Theban eagle', as Thomas Gray famously called him-has often been taken as the archetype of the sublime poet: soaring into the heavens on wings of language and inspired by visions of eternity. In this much-anticipated new study, Robert Fowler asks in what ways the concept of the sublime can still guide a reading of the greatest of the Greek lyric poets. Working with ancient and modern treatments of the topic, especially the poetry and writings of Friedrich Hoelderlin (1770-1843), arguably Pindar's greatest modern reader, he develops the case for an aesthetic appreciation of Pindar's odes as literature. Building on recent trends in criticism, he shifts the focus away from the first performance and the orality of Greek culture to reception and the experience of Pindar's odes as text. This change of emphasis yields a fresh discussion of many facets of Pindar's astonishing art, including the relation of the poems to their occasions, performativity, the poet's persona, his imagery, and his myths. Consideration of Pindar's views on divinity, transcendence, time, and the limits of language reveals him to be not only a great writer but a great thinker Cover Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Preface Acknowledgements 1 Sublime Receptions Ancient perceptions of Pindar Preliminary remarks on early modern receptions Abraham Cowley and English receptions Boileau, Perrault and Pindar Herder and the exaltation of genius Edmund Burke Immanuel Kant Reaction to Kant: Friedrich Schiller Friedrich Hölderlin Lyric parataxis Ancient and modern receptions in conversation 2 Shared Experience The first Pythian Primary and secondary (and tertiary) audiences The lyric ‘now’ and lyric experience: Being there Occasions: The Pindaric kōmos Personae, performativity and authors Pindar acting ‘Pindar’ ‘So I too’: Pindar’s ‘I’ and us The shadow’s dream On the razor’s edge: The poet, the kairos, art and politics 3 Exceeding Limits Greek myth, Greek religion Transcendence and immanence Personifications Probing the boundary of eternity Divine epiphanies In and out of time: Pindaric temporality ‘As when’: Pindaric metaphor and the limits of language Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index of Passages Index of Names and Subjects AcknowledgementsPrefaceCh. 1: Sublime ReceptionsCh. 2: Shared ExperienceCh. 3: Exceeding Limits -- Epilogue Notes -- Bibliography -- Index of PassagesIndex of Names and SubjectGeneral Index