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Daniel H. Garrison

Author of The Student's Catullus

6+ Works 543 Members 6 Reviews

About the Author

Daniel H. Garrison is Professor of Classics at Northwestern University

Includes the name: D. H. Garrison

Works by Daniel H. Garrison

Associated Works

Epodes and Odes (0030) — Editor, some editions — 986 copies, 8 reviews
A Companion to Catullus (2007) — Contributor — 26 copies

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Common Knowledge

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Reviews

A straightforward academic summary of what we know about sexuality in Ancient Greece from literature, art and archaeology. As anybody who has ever looked at Greek vases in a museum can easily guess, this is a lot more than we know about sexuality in many other ancient cultures, but when you drill down into it there are still a lot of blind spots. Statues and painted pottery are luxury products made for a limited elite; literary references are often satirical, or reflect the ideals of exclusive or counter-cultural sects, so we don’t really know all that much about the sexual habits of (say) working-class Athenians, or married women.

Garrison helps us to get a grasp of what we do know and put it in context, with introductory chapters about Jewish and other middle-eastern cultures and a closing chapter about Hellenistic Christianity, and he takes us through the evolution of Greek depictions of sexuality from Archaic to Hellenistic times. Unlike most other books I’ve read on this subject, he isn’t particularly interested in the way later cultures have responded to (their notions of) what the Greeks got up to in their naughtier moments (or didn’t!), and there’s no overt agenda of criticising the way we see sexuality in our own times. Which probably makes it a more useful book if you’re trying to make sense of Greek literature yourself, but leaves it a little dry for the reader if your interest is more sociological than classical. There are plenty of naughty pictures to look at, though…
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thorold | 1 other review | May 2, 2024 |
A nice learner's edition. I got this for my 4th semester of Latin, but have used it both through my Classics undergrad and after. Garrison does a nice job balancing translation help with commentary and notes. Unlike other editions of Catullus I have used, you do not need to have a strong base knowledge. He'll give it to you. On the other hand, if you're an advanced student, he can give you some fun thoughts on the text, and spare you toting a dictionary if you're reading for fun.
 
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ShushilaH | 2 other reviews | Dec 14, 2009 |
A complete list of every character in the Wodehouse stories. Indispensable for those of us who were issued a forgettery instead of a memory.
1 vote
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Poppisima | Aug 15, 2007 |
Read the poems in Latin - so much funnier and more enjoyable than any English translation.
 
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wrappedupinbooks | 2 other reviews | Jul 18, 2007 |

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