Dionysos at Large (Revealing Antiquity)

by Marcel Detienne, Arthur Goldhammer (Translator)

Discusses the unique characteristics of the Greek god Dionysus, who is associated with strangers, epiphanies, the shedding of blood and the pouring wine.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Classics, Mythology

90 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Marcel Detienne was a Belgian historian and specialist in the study of Ancient Greece.

Reviews

[Bárbara Nacif · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has its ups and downs. It is not an introduction on the cultic aspect of the greek God, nor his origins, the reader must have some previous knowledge about greek landscapes and culture when it comes to Dionysus. Detienne’s attempt to cover some of Dionysus aspects and different approaches depending on where his cult took place is very interesting but it does have some lack of substance and direction. I have no ideia why the author chose the poetic (and somehow tiresome and repetitive) language to tell us the god’s whereabouts. Unfortunately it is not as beautiful as I think he intended to. It is entertaining as it is superficial, of course is a tiny piece of work, probably not meant to be anything deep and academic (although it is academic in some sense). Detienne does not touch the subject of tragedy and its correlation to Dionysus, nor his mysteries linking life and death. The most special thing about this book are the stories about dionisiac mania and the mysteries of wine drinking and viticulture. The book is worth the reading and I’m always an admirer of Detienne’s work in general, but I believe it will not be everyone’s cup of tea. I would recommend it for students in the classics field, but a curious reader could be left somehow disapointed.

[Sick Márgaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un estudio muy interesante sobre las representaciones dionisiacas en la Antigua Grecia. "El vino es una sustancia en la que se mezclan la muerte y la vida considerablemente aumentada, dónde se intercambian el fuego ardiente y la humedad que apaga la sed; es un remedio tanto como un veneno, una droga por la cuál se sobrepasa lo humano o se vira hacia la brutalidad, descubre el éxtasis o hunde en la bestialidad: Centauro repartiendo coces en la alta sala del palacio", "Dionisio a cielo abierto", Marcel Detienne.

[Xavier Dc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ti nadie te Detienne, Marcel! Un text fantàsticament escrit, profund i ben ordenat. Deixo mitja frase que m'ha impactat, en relació a l'element dansívol de Dionís, i a aquesta mena de sotrac que durant el text s'anomena el brotar-saltar propi del nostre estimat Déu: HAY ALGO DE PALPITANTE EN LA BESTIA HUMANA.

[Grazie K. Zeligara]

<3 This book completly changed my notion of Dionyso and I got totally enchanted by Rhea. I'll surely read it again and again and also look for more information about Rhea.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acquired Nov 16, 1990
Paragraphe Bookstore, Montreal, Quebec

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah!