Shepherds and Butchers

Matthew Whittle (Author)

Global Literature and the Environment

Global Literature and the Environment analyses literatures from across the world that conn

Jenni Ramone (Author)

Global Literature and Gender

Offering a thorough introduction to notions of gender in contemporary global literature, Globa

Edith Hall (Author)

Epic of the Earth: Reading Homer's Iliad in the Fight for a Dying World

4,An urgent study of Homer's Iliad, exposing the beginnings of the ecological disaster we now face and facilitating our understanding of its history "Exhilarating."--Emma Greensmith, Times Literary Supplement The roots of today's environmental catastrophe run deep into humanity's past. Through this unprecedented reading of Homer's Iliad, the award-winning classicist Edith Hall examines how this foundational text both documents the environmental practices of the ancient Greeks and betrays an awareness of the dangers posed by the destruction of the natural landscape. Underlying Homer's account of brutal military operations, alliances, and cataclysmic struggle is a palpable understanding that the direction in which humanity was headed could create a world that was uninhabitable. Hall provides unparalleled insight into the ancient origins of climate change and argues that the Iliad exposes the deepest contradictions behind the environmental problems we have created. Indeed, it is possible that some of the violence done to the environment throughout history has been authorized, if not exacerbated, by the celebration of the exploitation of nature in Homer's poem. Drawing compelling ...