Innovation in tradition : women's voices in hellenistic literature
This study looks at poems about women written by Greek female poets, so that we can have a better comprehension of the image of women. Greek female poets are very few and the majority of them appear during the Hellenistic period. Their work is mostly written in the form of epigrams. Anyte from Tegea, through her funerary epigrams about dead unmarried girls, draws attention to the relationship between daughter and parents. She depicts original scenes of mourning parents who find consolation in the memory of the qualities of their daughter, such as beauty and wisdom. In the Distaff, Erinna offers us an authentic image of the strong bond between herself and her friend Baukis, and gives a new dimension to marriage, which is linked to death. Nossis from Locri writes about feminine sexuality and creates a new image of a woman who openly praises the delights of Eros, yet she rejects the notion that sexuality should serve as a criterion for her honor and respectability.
Epigrams Funerary Hellenistic poetry Women poets Femininity