John T. Kirby
I have had the extraordinary honor of founding and chairing not one but two degree-granting academic units: the first was the Program in Classical Studies at Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana); the second is the Department of Classics at the University of Miami (Coral Gables, Florida).
In between those appointments I also chaired, for seven years, the Program in Comparative Literature at Purdue, which at the time had a participating faculty of 38 members and about 40 MA and PhD students.
In between those appointments I also chaired, for seven years, the Program in Comparative Literature at Purdue, which at the time had a participating faculty of 38 members and about 40 MA and PhD students.
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CV by John T. Kirby
Books by John T. Kirby
These are some of the questions that gave rise to John Kirby's Secret of the Muses Retold. This new study of works by five twentieth-century Italian writers investigates the abiding influence of the Greek and Roman classics, and their rich legacy in our own day. The result is not only a splendid introduction to contemporary Italian literature, but also a lucid and stimulating meditation on the insights that writers such as Umberto Eco and Italo Calvino have tapped from the wellspring of ancient tradition.
Kirby's book offers an impassioned plea for the recuperation of the humanities in general, and of classical studies in particular. No expertise in Greek, Latin, Italian, or literary theory is presumed, and both traditional and postmodern perspectives are accommodated.
More Info: www.amazon.com/dp/0226437485/
Publisher: Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press
Publication Date: 2000
These are some of the questions that gave rise to John Kirby's Secret of the Muses Retold. This new study of works by five twentieth-century Italian writers investigates the abiding influence of the Greek and Roman classics, and their rich legacy in our own day. The result is not only a splendid introduction to contemporary Italian literature, but also a lucid and stimulating meditation on the insights that writers such as Umberto Eco and Italo Calvino have tapped from the wellspring of ancient tradition.
Kirby's book offers an impassioned plea for the recuperation of the humanities in general, and of classical studies in particular. No expertise in Greek, Latin, Italian, or literary theory is presumed, and both traditional and postmodern perspectives are accommodated.
Following a time line and a lengthy introduction, the volume is divided into 10 topical chapters, among them "The Arts," "Social Class System and the Economy," "The Family and Social Trends," and "Religion and Philosophy." These divisions will be standard throughout the series. Except for chapter one, "World Events," which provides context with a list of events outside Greece, each chapter follows the same general plan. A chronology and an overview precede a series of articles on various topics. Among the 13 topics treated in chapter 2, "The Arts," are architecture, sculpture, and tragedy. Chapter 7, "Leisure, Recreation, and Daily Life," covers seven topics, including food and housing. These articles generally range in length from two to four pages and are followed by biographical profiles. "The Arts" has the fullest biographical content, with 17 profiles; some chapters have only 1 profile, and others have none. Each chapter concludes with a discussion of documentary sources.
The text is supported by numerous black-and-white illustrations, as well as sidebars and maps. Sidebars provide extra information on selected topics, such as coinage or travel, and often excerpt primary source material. Following the main text are a glossary and a general bibliography. This bibliography, which for the most part cites titles that might be found in an academic library, is in addition to the lists of sources appended to the articles.
For a similar audience, Greenwood's Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks (1998), part of its useful Daily Life through History series, delivers information in a straight narrative. Gale's accessible reference format makes this first entry in the World Eras series a good choice for high-school and undergraduate libraries, especially where American Eras and American Decades are popular." — RBB (American Library Association)"
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0787617075/
or here at
http://www.academia.edu/4749947/World_Eras_Classical_Greek_Civilization_800-323_B.C.E._"
Essays by John T. Kirby
These are just some of the questions that have inspired the writing of this essay. By their very nature, they require us to expand our horizons beyond the ease of simple paradigms and the familiarity of received ideas. Their anthropological complexity challenges us to look beyond the bounds of the culture we call our own, to move beyond the comforting simplicity of monocultural analysis. Their interrogation of time as well as of space prompts us, moreover, to reach as far back into the past as we possibly can in search of relevant evidence.
This essay looks at philosophical treatises in three ancient languages – Greek, Sanskrit, and Chinese – in order to see what they can tell us about the way thinkers in those cultures analyzed the emotions.
These are some of the questions that gave rise to John Kirby's Secret of the Muses Retold. This new study of works by five twentieth-century Italian writers investigates the abiding influence of the Greek and Roman classics, and their rich legacy in our own day. The result is not only a splendid introduction to contemporary Italian literature, but also a lucid and stimulating meditation on the insights that writers such as Umberto Eco and Italo Calvino have tapped from the wellspring of ancient tradition.
Kirby's book offers an impassioned plea for the recuperation of the humanities in general, and of classical studies in particular. No expertise in Greek, Latin, Italian, or literary theory is presumed, and both traditional and postmodern perspectives are accommodated.
More Info: www.amazon.com/dp/0226437485/
Publisher: Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press
Publication Date: 2000
These are some of the questions that gave rise to John Kirby's Secret of the Muses Retold. This new study of works by five twentieth-century Italian writers investigates the abiding influence of the Greek and Roman classics, and their rich legacy in our own day. The result is not only a splendid introduction to contemporary Italian literature, but also a lucid and stimulating meditation on the insights that writers such as Umberto Eco and Italo Calvino have tapped from the wellspring of ancient tradition.
Kirby's book offers an impassioned plea for the recuperation of the humanities in general, and of classical studies in particular. No expertise in Greek, Latin, Italian, or literary theory is presumed, and both traditional and postmodern perspectives are accommodated.
Following a time line and a lengthy introduction, the volume is divided into 10 topical chapters, among them "The Arts," "Social Class System and the Economy," "The Family and Social Trends," and "Religion and Philosophy." These divisions will be standard throughout the series. Except for chapter one, "World Events," which provides context with a list of events outside Greece, each chapter follows the same general plan. A chronology and an overview precede a series of articles on various topics. Among the 13 topics treated in chapter 2, "The Arts," are architecture, sculpture, and tragedy. Chapter 7, "Leisure, Recreation, and Daily Life," covers seven topics, including food and housing. These articles generally range in length from two to four pages and are followed by biographical profiles. "The Arts" has the fullest biographical content, with 17 profiles; some chapters have only 1 profile, and others have none. Each chapter concludes with a discussion of documentary sources.
The text is supported by numerous black-and-white illustrations, as well as sidebars and maps. Sidebars provide extra information on selected topics, such as coinage or travel, and often excerpt primary source material. Following the main text are a glossary and a general bibliography. This bibliography, which for the most part cites titles that might be found in an academic library, is in addition to the lists of sources appended to the articles.
For a similar audience, Greenwood's Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks (1998), part of its useful Daily Life through History series, delivers information in a straight narrative. Gale's accessible reference format makes this first entry in the World Eras series a good choice for high-school and undergraduate libraries, especially where American Eras and American Decades are popular." — RBB (American Library Association)"
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0787617075/
or here at
http://www.academia.edu/4749947/World_Eras_Classical_Greek_Civilization_800-323_B.C.E._"
These are just some of the questions that have inspired the writing of this essay. By their very nature, they require us to expand our horizons beyond the ease of simple paradigms and the familiarity of received ideas. Their anthropological complexity challenges us to look beyond the bounds of the culture we call our own, to move beyond the comforting simplicity of monocultural analysis. Their interrogation of time as well as of space prompts us, moreover, to reach as far back into the past as we possibly can in search of relevant evidence.
This essay looks at philosophical treatises in three ancient languages – Greek, Sanskrit, and Chinese – in order to see what they can tell us about the way thinkers in those cultures analyzed the emotions.