Facing Down the Furies: Suicide, the Ancient Greeks, and Me by Hall, Edith

Facing Down the Furies: Suicide, the Ancient Greeks, and Me

An award-winning classicist turns to Greek tragedies for the wisdom to understand the damage caused by suicide...
$63.43 AUD
$63.43 AUD
SKU: 9.7803E+12
Product Type: Books
Please hurry! Only 0 left in stock
Author: Edith Hall
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $63.43
10 customers are viewing this product
Facing Down the Furies: Suicide, the Ancient Greeks, and Me by Hall, Edith

Facing Down the Furies: Suicide, the Ancient Greeks, and Me

$63.43

Facing Down the Furies: Suicide, the Ancient Greeks, and Me

$63.43
Author: Edith Hall
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
An award-winning classicist turns to Greek tragedies for the wisdom to understand the damage caused by suicide and help those who are contemplating suicide themselves

In Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus the Tyrant, a messenger arrives to report that Jocasta, queen of Thebes, has killed herself. To prepare listeners for this terrible news, he announces, "The tragedies that hurt the most are those that sufferers have chosen for themselves." Edith Hall, whose own life and psyche have been shaped by such loss--her mother's grandfather, mother, and first cousin all took their own lives--traces the philosophical arguments on suicide, from Plato and Aristotle to David Hume and Albert Camus.

In this deeply personal story, Hall explores the psychological damage that suicide inflicts across generations, relating it to the ancient Greek idea of a family curse. She draws parallels between characters from Greek tragedy and her own relatives, including her great-grandfather, whose life and death bore similar motivations to Sophocles' Ajax: both men were overwhelmed by shame and humiliation.

Hall, haunted by her own periodic suicidal urges, shows how plays by Sophocles and other Greek dramatists helped her work through the loss of her grandmother and namesake Edith and understand her relationship with her own mother. The wisdom and solace found in the ancient tragedies, she argues, can help one choose survival over painful adversity and offer comfort to those who are tragically bereaved.

Author: Edith Hall
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 03/19/2024
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780300273533

About the Author
Edith Hall is a professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at Durham University. She is the author of more than thirty books, including Aristotle's Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life. She lives in Cambridgeshire, UK.

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Related Products

Recently Viewed Products