History is how we have learnt to think about ourselves. It's not as though the Greeks and Romans are static entities out there to be discovered and translated. We make them speak, we talk to them, and they inform what we say.
Mary BeardRead
The gloomiest way of describing the ancient world is it is misogyny from A to Z, really.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that misogyny pervades every aspect of the ancient world.
Mary Beard's quote highlights the pervasive nature of misogyny throughout the history of the ancient world, emphasizing that it is not just a singular issue, but a systemic problem that permeates various aspects of society. By framing misogyny as being present 'from A to Z,' Beard suggests that it is intrinsic to the ancient cultures and should be critically examined and recognized in historical narratives.
Themes
MisogynyAncient WorldFeminismGenderHistory
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about gender equality in history classes.
More from Mary Beard
All quotes βI don't think that we are completely dominated by what we have inherited from the past, but it is the case that as far back as you can go - just to Homer, but also to the literature of Rome, the literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance - what you will find is that women's voices are not taken seriously.
Mary BeardRead
What politicians do is they never get the rhetoric wrong, and the price they pay is they don't speak the truth as they see it. Now, I will speak truth as I see it, and sometimes I don't get the rhetoric right. I think that's a fair trade-off.
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I'd quite like to be in Caligula's court - living in the back room somewhere and just being able to observe.
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Whatever you say about popular culture, people like people who know things, who are experts, and it doesn't particularly matter what they look like.
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There is no way, absolutely no way, that I would want people to stop reading the 'Odyssey.' But I want them to read it with their eyes open. To notice it and then to think what it says about us.
Mary BeardRead
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