This title is no longer available from this publisher at this time. To let the publisher know you are interested in the title, please email bv-help@uchicago.edu.
Winged Words: Flight in Poetry and History
by Piero Boitani
University of Chicago Press, 2007 Cloth: 978-0-226-06561-8 Library of Congress Classification PN56.F54B6513 2007 Dewey Decimal Classification 809.93356
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Flight has always fascinated human minds, but until a century ago it remained a dream—the exclusive domain of birds, gods, and mythological heroes. From the myths of the ancients to the poetry of Pindar and Yeats, Winged Words traces the imprint of the human impulse to fly from premodern times to the age of terrorism in both literature and history.
Piero Boitani begins his analysis with an account of the way the myths of Pegasus and Icarus have persisted from classical to twentieth-century politics and literature. He then takes up the figure of Hermes; the roles of halcyons and eagles in classical, biblical, and later literatures; and literary response to Pieter Brueghel’s The Fall of Icarus. Honing in on modern figures and concerns, Boitani also offers a fascinating discussion of author-pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and concludes with a meditation on the flight of the hijacked airliners on 9/11. Throughout, Winged Word brings a remarkable range of men of action, politicians, theologians, writers, and artists into dialogue with each other: Shakespeare with T. S. Eliot, Horace with Ovid, Leonardo with Milton, Leopardi with Mallarmé, Saint-Exupéry with Faulkner and Rilke, and the Ulysses of Homer with the Ulysses of Dante. Ultimately, by showing how writers and fliers have looked to the ancients for inspiration, Boitani testifies to the modern relevance of poetry and the classics.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Piero Boitani is professor of comparative literature at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and the author of many books.
REVIEWS
“Winged Words soars in flight over the widest range of subjects. Boitani brings great erudition, wit, and moral seriousness to his theme, demonstrating how comparative literature can express and animate the most vital of our concerns, from Homer to 9/11.”
— Robin Kirkpatrick, University of Cambridge
“Piero Boitani’s range of references, the fascinating and unexpected juxtapositions, the imaginative energy of the conceptual frames for each chapter, and the sheer delight in the literature discussed make the reading experience itself a delight. There are many ways to take literature seriously, and Boitani’s work consistently engages important questions of the relationship between literature, myth, history, and vision. For me Boitani’s work is exemplary and, like the books of Robert Harrison and Susan Stewart, reaffirms my faith in the illuminating power of literature.”
— Rachel Jacoff, Wellesley College
"This enjoyable book is an imaginative survey of the role of flight in literature . . . . and what we might term the 'cultural history' of the West. . . . A work of comparative literature at its most wide-ranging."
— Victoria Moul, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"In this wide-ranging, entertaining thematic study, Boitani examines humans' fascination with flight, both real and imagined, as manifested in canonical and noncanonical work of literature and visual art in Western culture from classical antiquity to 9/11.... Few will argue with the book's stated premise: explorations of flight and the appeal of flight across time can teach one about history, culture, and being. These learned and often delightful discussions will likely appeal to those interested in comparative literature, philosophy, and ethics, as well as to readers interested in flight as a thematic focus of literary criticism."
— Choice
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface to the English-Language Edition Note on Texts and Translations
Introduction 1. Pegasus 2. Icarus 3. Hermes 4. Halcyons 5. Eagles 6. Musée des Beaux Arts 7. Night Flights 8. 2001. The Mad Flight
Epilogue: Winged Words
Index
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This title is no longer available from this publisher at this time. To let the publisher know you are interested in the title, please email bv-help@uchicago.edu.
Winged Words: Flight in Poetry and History
by Piero Boitani
University of Chicago Press, 2007 Cloth: 978-0-226-06561-8
Flight has always fascinated human minds, but until a century ago it remained a dream—the exclusive domain of birds, gods, and mythological heroes. From the myths of the ancients to the poetry of Pindar and Yeats, Winged Words traces the imprint of the human impulse to fly from premodern times to the age of terrorism in both literature and history.
Piero Boitani begins his analysis with an account of the way the myths of Pegasus and Icarus have persisted from classical to twentieth-century politics and literature. He then takes up the figure of Hermes; the roles of halcyons and eagles in classical, biblical, and later literatures; and literary response to Pieter Brueghel’s The Fall of Icarus. Honing in on modern figures and concerns, Boitani also offers a fascinating discussion of author-pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and concludes with a meditation on the flight of the hijacked airliners on 9/11. Throughout, Winged Word brings a remarkable range of men of action, politicians, theologians, writers, and artists into dialogue with each other: Shakespeare with T. S. Eliot, Horace with Ovid, Leonardo with Milton, Leopardi with Mallarmé, Saint-Exupéry with Faulkner and Rilke, and the Ulysses of Homer with the Ulysses of Dante. Ultimately, by showing how writers and fliers have looked to the ancients for inspiration, Boitani testifies to the modern relevance of poetry and the classics.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Piero Boitani is professor of comparative literature at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and the author of many books.
REVIEWS
“Winged Words soars in flight over the widest range of subjects. Boitani brings great erudition, wit, and moral seriousness to his theme, demonstrating how comparative literature can express and animate the most vital of our concerns, from Homer to 9/11.”
— Robin Kirkpatrick, University of Cambridge
“Piero Boitani’s range of references, the fascinating and unexpected juxtapositions, the imaginative energy of the conceptual frames for each chapter, and the sheer delight in the literature discussed make the reading experience itself a delight. There are many ways to take literature seriously, and Boitani’s work consistently engages important questions of the relationship between literature, myth, history, and vision. For me Boitani’s work is exemplary and, like the books of Robert Harrison and Susan Stewart, reaffirms my faith in the illuminating power of literature.”
— Rachel Jacoff, Wellesley College
"This enjoyable book is an imaginative survey of the role of flight in literature . . . . and what we might term the 'cultural history' of the West. . . . A work of comparative literature at its most wide-ranging."
— Victoria Moul, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"In this wide-ranging, entertaining thematic study, Boitani examines humans' fascination with flight, both real and imagined, as manifested in canonical and noncanonical work of literature and visual art in Western culture from classical antiquity to 9/11.... Few will argue with the book's stated premise: explorations of flight and the appeal of flight across time can teach one about history, culture, and being. These learned and often delightful discussions will likely appeal to those interested in comparative literature, philosophy, and ethics, as well as to readers interested in flight as a thematic focus of literary criticism."
— Choice
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface to the English-Language Edition Note on Texts and Translations
Introduction 1. Pegasus 2. Icarus 3. Hermes 4. Halcyons 5. Eagles 6. Musée des Beaux Arts 7. Night Flights 8. 2001. The Mad Flight
Epilogue: Winged Words
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE