H. Boeke, The Value of Victory in Pindar's Odes. Gnomai, Cosmology and the Role of the Poet

Hanna Boeke, The Value of Victory in Pindar's Odes. Gnomai, Cosmology and the Role of the Poet, Leiden/Boston:  Brill, coll. "Mnemosyne Supplements" n° 285, 2007, x-227p. 

ISBN 978-90-04-15848-1

89€

Recension par Maria G. Xanthou (Aristotle University of Thessalonik) dans Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2008.11.23

Présentation de l'éditeur:

This book investigates the cosmological context of Pindar's victory odes, and how it influences his presentation of praise. The study first focuses on gnomai as a reflection of cosmology, using these sayings to establish the views the poems reveal on matters such as the divine, the human condition and man in society. This overview is complemented by detailed literary analyses demonstrating how cosmology functions in individual odes. They show that Pindar shapes the poet persona to emphasize different aspects of the traditional world view or represent varying viewpoints so that he can praise each victor according to his particular circumstances. By focusing on cosmology the book highlights a neglected dimension of Pindar's odes and challenges some traditional views on this poet. 

Hanna Boeke taught German before spending fifteen years in the insurance industry. She left corporate life to study Greek and Roman antiquity. In 2005 she received a D. Litt. in Classics from the University of Stellenbosch.

Sommaire:

Gnomai as a source of cosmological reflection -- The nature of gnomai according to modern scholarship -- Ancient thinking on gnomai -- The "true point" of gnomai -- The gnomic expression of cosmology in Pindar -- Definitions and assumptions -- The elemental forces : fate, God, nature and man -- The human condition -- Man in society -- Cosmology in action : an analysis of selected odes -- Olympian 12 : an immigrant and his adopted city -- Isthmian 4 : creating for an ill-favoured victor -- Olympian 13 : praising an ambitious family -- The poet as mediator of cosmology -- Isthmian 4 : the poet modifies a cosmological premise -- Olympian 13 : the poet demonstrates cosmological principles -- Cosmology and the poet in short odes -- Olympian 9 and Nemean 3 : the poet assumes different attitudes to a central cosmological tenet.