Foundations of Violence

The pursuit and love of death has characterized Western culture since Homeric times.Foundations of Violenceenters the ancient world of Homer, Plato and Aristotle to explore the genealogy of violence in Western thought. It covers the origins of ideas of death--the "beautiful death" of Homeric heroes-through to the gendered misery of war. Jantzen examines the tensions between those who tried to eliminate fear of death by denying its significance, and those like Plotinus who looked to another world for life and beauty.

Grace J. Jantzen is Research Professor of Religion, Culture and Gender at the University of Manchester.