Books : The Greeks And Greek Love: A Radical Reappraisal of Homosexuality In Ancient Greece: A Radical Reappraisal of Homosexuality in Ancient Greece

Rating: - confusing and far too long
Davidson's previous book (Fishcakes and Courtesans) was one of the best things ever written on the Ancient World. By contrast, this one should have had the serious attentions of an editor, who would, first of all, have reduced its length by at least half. And then controlled Davidson's runaway propensity for slang terms, neologisms and typographical innovations, all of which are confusing and irritating. I do now believe I have read the whole book (to do so from cover to cover in the order it is written is impossible) but I am still not clear what he is trying to say: was homosexuality the accepted norm in ancient Greece or not? It seems, reading between the lines, that Davidson thinks it wasn't (in the earlier book, he says so more clearly), but then, what is he trying to say? As far as I can see, only that certain sorts of male-male relationships (not necessarily physical) were ritualized, in different ways in different places (big deal), and that some cities even had to pass legislation fobidding the condemnation of homosexuality (a gay lobby at work, even then).
The first one-third of the book is an entertaining read. After that, it's something for professional classicists only.

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Rating: - Too much personal investment?
James Davidson is a renowned classicist but sadly I feel that too much personal emotional investment in this topic has rather stilted or skewed his usual insightful readings. Romanticising the Greek ideal of elite masculine 'homosexuality' is not so much a reappraissal, I fear, as a throw-back to a more C19th view of the Greeks a la E.M.Forster et al who found a legitimisation of their own feelings.

I don't find the idea of male/male sex at all problematic but I don't feel that Davidson has added anything to the exemplary work already done (Winkler, Richlin etc)and elides too much of the politics of sex which is what makes classicial civilisation, Roman as well as Greek, both so fascinating and 'so good to think with'.

Always an erudite, witty and engaging writer, too much of this book was way too 'out there' (e.g. some of the readings of myth, Homer etc).

So overall I think this is an interesting book for the classical scholar aware of the debates and problems of uncovering ancient sexuality, but it is perhaps too misleading in its conclusions to the average interested reader.

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Rating: - Great book
Definitive study of homosexuality in Ancient Greece, written beautifully by an academic who really knows his stuff but is able to communicate it clearly to the world at large. Fluid prose with a witty edge.