The Invention Of Jane Harrison (revealing Antiquity) [Paperback]

Jane Ellen Harrison (1850-1928) is the most famous female Classicist in history, the author of books that revolutionized our understanding of Greek culture and religion. A star in the British academic world, she became the quintessential Cambridge woman--as Virginia Woolf suggested when, inA Room of One's Own, she claims to have glimpsed Harrison's ghost in the college gardens.

This lively and innovative portrayal of a fascinating woman raises the question of who wins (and how) in the competition for academic fame. Mary Beard captures Harrison's ability to create her own image. And she contrasts her story with that of Eug?nie Sellers Strong, a younger contemporary and onetime intimate, the author of major work on Roman art and once a glittering figure at the British School in Rome--but who lost the race for renown. The setting for the story of Harrison's career is Classical scholarship in this period--its internal arguments and allegiances and especially the influence of the anthropological strain most strikingly exemplified by Sir James Frazer. Questioning the common criteria for identifying intellectual influence and movements, Beard exposes the mythology that is embedded in the history of Classics. At the same time she provides a vivid picture of a sparkling intellectual scene.The Invention of Jane Harrisonoffers shrewd history and undiluted fun.

[A] provocative biography& Among the many questions whichMary Beardasks is why Harrison was singled out for celebrity& [Beard] has filled a gap, and in vivacious style.Clever and beautiful& [Jane Harrison] earned the permanent admiration of the Classics faculty at Cambridge. Eug?nie Sellers, Harrisons younger proteg?e and one-time close friend, was equally talented in the field of Roman antiquities& Yet her name is virtually forgotten&Beards gripping little book is an attempt to set the record a little straighter on Harrison. It is also an attempt to put Sellers back& As Bearl.