Breaking boundaries : an exploration of feminine arête in Archaic and Classical Greece, 2013

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Law

Identifier: b7636433

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate History program. The holdings are bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts degree.

From the Collection:

During the fall 2022 semester (in instances where the requisite waivers were received from consenting student authors), the Monmouth University Library, together with the University's Graduate School and Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences, began providing open access to select full-text digital versions of current theses and dissertations through links to the ProQuest Dissertations Publishing website in the Library's Online Public Access Catalog. Links to these open access digital publications can also be found in the "External Documents" section under any conforming titles that are listed among the holdings itemized in the collection inventory for this finding aid.

Dates

Creation: 2013

Creator

Lawrence, Kerry (1982- ) (Author, Person)
Li, Jean (Thesis advisor, Person)
Parkin, Katherine J. (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Collection holdings may not be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (723-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Patrons must complete a Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to gain access to the collection holdings. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 103 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction [excerpts]

Organization of Thesis

Chapter One explores the domestic world of Greek women: the oikos. It shows how the oikos was constructed and who make up the household. It also deals with how women were segregated in the gynaikon and were expected to breed healthy children, preferably sons. The chapter looks at the roles of women in the oikos: wives, mothers, weavers, and slaves. It explores what the archetypal wife and mother were supposed to do and how some women acheived the Arête of wifehood and motherhood by playing these roles to their best, and also how they achieved equal excellence by breaking the boundaries that held them in place.

The polis is then studied in chapter two, and again the role of women within the confines of the city. Because most wives of citizen men were not allowed to venture forth into public, their roles were very limited. The chapter looks at three key characters: the poet, the beauty, and the hetaera. It again looks at how women broke traditional boundaries and stretched them to achieve Arête in the poleis that constrained them.

Chapter Three looks at the special relationship that women had with religion and how important their role was to the Greek poleis as a whole. The special status of the priestess is recovered, as is the oracle and the kanephoros. Festivals, cults, and funerals are discussed as the few events that citizen wives were allowed to attend on a regular basis. It shows how women were able to acheive closeness to the gods and Arête through worship and how they could achieve more power than most in this one sphere.

The final chapter focuses on the topic of warfare and how women were usually sidelined due to the supposed superior strength and bravery of men. It looks at women off the battlefield and on the battlefield and investigates how women were fundamental to the outcome of wars despite the fact that they did not partake in the battles themselves.

Through these examinations, I will show how women acheived the concept of Arête in as many ways as the men around them. I will prove that women were capable of gaining Arête in many roles despite the subjugations that constantly bound them to the hearth. They accomplished Arête in their every day roles of wives, mothers, and religious participants, and they also broke the molds and stepped outside the norm to gain Arête through warfare, philosophy, and athletics.

Partial Contents

Introduction -- 1. Wives, mothers, and slaves : the women of the Oikos -- 2. The hetaera, the poet, and the beauty : the Greek women in the polis -- 3. The power of the priestess : the female in ancient Greek religion -- 4. Women and warfare -- Conclusion -- Images -- Bibliography.