Lieve Spaas

Trista Selous

What kind of connotation does the word 'father' have in everyday language? How have states and governments defined and manipulated the paternal role? What is a 'father-figure'? What can literature tell us about absent or overbearing fathers? How far is the cultural construct of fatherhood linked to biological paternity, and what is biological paternity? These are some of the questions explored through the chapters in this book, which together offer a fascinatingly complex view of fatherhood across the centuries.

Myths and Realities

Paternity and Fatherhood

In Greek mythology the beautiful Narcissus glimpsed his own reflection in the waters of a spring and fell in love. But his was an impossible passion and, filled with despair, he pined away. Over the years the myth has inspired painters, writers, and film directors, as well as philosophers and psychoanalysts. The tragic story of Narcissus, in love with himself, and of Echo, the nymph in love with him, lies at the heart of this collection of essays exploring the origins of the myth and some of its many cultural manifestations and meanings relating to the self and the self's relationship to the other. Through their discussion of the myth and its ramifications, the contributors to this volume broaden our understanding of one of the fundamental myths of Western culture.

Echoes of Narcissus

Nineteen contributors from the humanities and social sciences present essays exploring the myth of Narcissus, and the formation of theories based on this myth. Topics include the origin of the myth; variations of the myth; works of art inspired by the myth; the application of the myth to various social phenomena, literary works, and films; what the myth suggests about the relationship between self and others; and the transference of the myth from the individual level to the collective group. Spaas teaches French cultural studies at Kingston U. c. Book News Inc.

Trista Selous

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