The Greeks and the Irrational

2020 Reprint of 1957 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. Using the analytical method of anthropology and psychology, classicist E.R. Dodds shows the role of primitive and irrational forces in Greek Culture which had been largely glossed over by most writers previously. “This is a work of admirable learning which is also extremely readable.”- Times Literary Supplement. “An event in modern Greek Scholarship…a thoughtful, well-documented and beautifully written discussion.” Classical Outlook. Contents: Agamemnon's apology -- From shame-culture to guilt-culture -- The blessings of madness -- Dream-pattern and culture-pattern -- The Greek shamans and the origin of Puritanism -- Rationalism and reaction in the classical age -- Plato, the irrational soul, and the inherited conglomerate -- The fear of freedom -- Maenadism -- Theurgy.