The Trojan Horse and Other Stories: Ten Ancient Creatures That Make Us Human -- Julia Kindt, Hardcover

What makes us human? What, if anything, sets us apart from all other creatures? Ever since Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, the answer to these questions has pointed to our own intrinsic animal nature. Yet the idea that, in one way or another, our humanity is entangled with the non-human has a much longer and more venerable history. In the West, it goes all the way back to classical antiquity. This grippingly written and provocative book boldly reveals how the ancient world mobilised concepts of 'the animal' and 'animality' to conceive of the human in a variety of illuminating ways. Through ten stories about marvelous mythical beings - from the Trojan Horse to the Cyclops, and from Androcles' lion to the Minotaur - Julia Kindt unlocks fresh ways of thinking about humanity that extend from antiquity to the present and that ultimately challenge our understanding of who we really are.

Author: Julia Kindt
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 01/11/2024
Pages: 380
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.55lbs
Size: 9.13h x 6.06w x 1.02d
ISBN: 9781009411387

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 02/09/2024 pg. 1