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Cleopatra
Her History, Her Myth
Series: Ancient Lives
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Cleopatra
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
A feminist reinterpretation of the myths surrounding Cleopatra casts new light on the Egyptian queen and her legacy
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
A feminist reinterpretation of the myths surrounding Cleopatra casts new light on the Egyptian queen and her legacy.
“A lucid and persuasive reinterpretation. Readers won’t see Cleopatra the same way again.”—Publishers Weekly
“Where Prose really sparkles: her critiques of the cultural depictions of Cleopatra.”—Allison Arieff, San Francisco Chronicle
The siren passionately in love with Mark Antony, the seductress who allegedly rolled out of a carpet she had herself smuggled in to see Caesar, Cleopatra is a figure shrouded in myth. Beyond the legends immortalised by Plutarch, Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, and others, there are no journals or letters written by Cleopatra herself. All we have to tell her story are words written by others. What has it meant for our understanding of Cleopatra to have had her story told by writers who had a political agenda, authors who distrusted her motives, and historians who believed she was a liar?
Francine Prose delves into ancient Greek and Roman literary sources, as well as modern representations of Cleopatra in art, theatre, and film, to challenge narratives driven by orientalism and misogyny and offer a new interpretation of Cleopatra’s history through the lens of our current era.
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Cleopatra
A feminist reinterpretation of the myths surrounding Cleopatra casts new light on the Egyptian queen and her legacy. “A lucid and persuasive reinterpretation. Readers won’t see Cleopatra the same way again.”—Publishers Weekly “Where Prose really sparkles: her critiques of the cultural depictions of Cleopatra.”—Allison Arieff, San Francisco Chronicle The siren passionately in love with Mark Antony, the seductress who allegedly...Paperback$2599Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Francine Prose delivers a feminist reinterpretation of Cleopatra, praised for its efficient and persuasive style, along with a beautiful narrative. The book is noted for its compelling descriptions of the urban Mediterranean and its critical deconstruction of harmful tropes surrounding Cleopatra. It is applauded for highlighting the racism, imperialism, and orientalism in the historical portrayals of the Egyptian queen.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780300274158
Publisher: Yale University Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 28 November 2023
Country: United States
Imprint: Yale University Press
Illustration: 1 map
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 208
About the Author
Francine Prose is the author of numerous books, including Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932; Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife; and Reading Like a Writer. A Distinguished Writer in Residence at Bard College, she lives in New York.
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