Sappho Modern Scholarship. Flashcards
[about Loeb 16 - “The most beautiful sight in the whole world”, page 6):
“The poem has attracted much appreciation, and it is worth reading again in slow motion, as all Sappho’s songs are, and just trying to write down your impressions of it, your sense of it, your understanding of what’s going on and what’s coming next by line, eing as honest with yourself as possible.”
Prof. James Davidson - 2007 The Greeks and Greek Love.
How is Davidson suggesting that we approach Sappho?
He is suggesting that we analyse and look deeper into it.
What is Davidson suggesting about the relationship between Sappho’s songs and the listener/reader?
Davidson is encouraging an open/honest relationship. He believes it is important to be honest with yourself.
Do you think that listening to what Davidson says would deepen your understanding of Sappho?
Yes! Some poems are confusing/symbolic, so it is good to discuss (some poems are also fragmented, making less sense).
Would listening to Davidson enhance your experience of Sappho’s songs?
Yes - it would deepend my understanding, and I feel like I would receive a deeper connection with it.
“Because women poets are emotionally disturbed, their poems are psychological outpourings, that is, not intellectual but ingenuous, artless, concerned with their inner emotional lives.”
Prof. Mary Lefkowitz 1996, Critical Stereotypes and the Poetry of Sappho. These are not her own opinions, she is suggesting the view that someone might have.
Do you think the content of Sappho’s poems are purely selfish ramblings that no one else can relate to?
Just because they’re her own opinions does not make them ‘selfish ramblings’.
- her weddings songs would’ve been used often.
- Many of her poems are relatable - wedding/familial/effects of love desire.
Would you consider Sappho’s songs to be unsophisticated?
Not really. Though some of them are, this doesn’t exactly mean that they are bad. She covers many aspects of life, and not all of these are sophisticated.
Do you think Sappho is a “hysterical woman who cannot control her frenzied emotional outpourings”?
No. Lots of people use writing as a way to get their thoughts down. This does not make Sappho ‘hysterical’.
An ancient sources tells us about how Sappho was viewed in Ancient Athens a few centuries after she died (5th century).
“Solon [an Athenian leader] of Athens heard his nephew sing a song of Sappho’s over the wine and since he liked the song so much he asked the boy to teach it to him. When someone asked why he said, ‘So that I may learn it then die’.” Stobaios Florilegium.
Does this male, Ancient view of Sappho’s work agree with the views reported by Leftkowitz?
No! He seems to have geuinely enjoyed her works.
“It is tempting to the see the emphasis on bridal virginity simply as a form of masculine oppression against younger women, lest they dare to enjoy their own sexuality and thus reduce their value as a commodity to a future husband.”
Dr Phil Freeman, 2016, Searching for Sappho.
Summarise the conclusion that Freeman thinks most people draw:
He’s saying that some people place women’s value solely on their body/virginity. The concempt of virginity is presented by Sappho as a form of male oppression.
Why does Freeman describe drawing the conclusion about virginity as ‘tempting’? What is implied by using this word?
‘tempting’ = basic and not nuanced.
‘tempting’ = want.
Do you think Sappho’s poetry supports Freeman’s conclusion?
Sappho does place high value on virginity, having it represent innocence and childhood.
“Sappho’s loss of voice in the context of lyric tradition that is essentially performative, threatens to silence her altogether.”
Pro. Dolores O’Higgins. Sappho’s Splintered Tongue: Silence in Sappho 31 and Catullus 51.
Apart from the fact that we have lost around 95% of Sappho’s work, what else is lost to us about her songs that really limits out understanding?
- We’ve lost her original intentions.
- We lose her intended tone and rhythm.
BUT!
- Poetry is meant to be interpretative.
- Sometimes the fragmentation adds to our appreciation.
“Each generation invents its own Sappho.”
Prof. Ellen Greene.
What do you think Greene means by her scholarship? What does that imply about the impact of Sappho’s work in literature and scholarship?
Each generation has someone who is open, raw, honest and heavily praised.
People will try to find someone who speaks for them.
“Sappho epitomises all the lost genius in literary history, especially all the lesbian artists, whose work has been destroyed, sanitised or heterosexualised.”
Pro. Susan Gubar.
What do you think Gubar means in relation to work being ‘sanitised or heterosexualised’? What evidence have you got from modern society or the Ancient World to support or challenge this statement?
A lot of Sappho’s work was censored as she often refers to women in a romantic way.
However, lots of Sappho’s surviving work did survive being sanitised/heterosexualised (though there were likely attempts).
“Sappho’s take on marriage is never very clear, but I just feel that there isn’t something that she is telling her audience about her marriage and the bond that she shares with her husband. I think overall Sappho is more of a confused young girl and she is searching for herself in any medium that she can find; whether it be her art of her heart.”
Dr Katie Schoenbaechler, 2002 (biggest opp tbh. yes everyone is entitled to their opinion, but yours is WRONG)
Based on your reading, do you think Sappho is “a confused young girl searching for herself” or does she have a very clear sexual identity and knows exactly what she is saying and what she wants.
Sappho seems to know eactly what she wants and who she is. Yes, she might’ve had a husband and we know for sure that she had a daughter. But some of these poems are written later on in her life, so she can’t always be a “confused young girl”. Also, she has several poems dedicated to clear affection for women.
“Sappho’s poems emphasise the isolation of the individual, even within the group and even from herself…if her work is universal, it is not because she invites us in…but because she shows us what it means to be excluded and alone.”
Pro. Emily Wilson, 2004.
Do you agree that Sappho’s poems are written from the point of view of the excluded and lonely?
No. At least, not all of them. She frequently talks about the luxery of her life.
What evidence can you find in Sappho’s poetry that supports the idea of lonliness in her poetry?
We know that she does get exiled, and her final poem (Loeb 168b) does seem very lonely. It might link to Loeb 34, suggesting some poems do emphasise lonliness, but I don’t think they all do.
About Loeb 94: “Honestly I want to die”: “The present invades that lovely past with its own misery.”
Anne Burnett, in a JSTOR article.
