This isn’t a proper unit, but rather more of a pre-class orientation. For in-person courses most of this is covered in the first two hour class session. For online classes, we cover this material by reading on our own and a short quiz. Some discussion will also be given to the material in the first zoom session.
This course is called Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome. You may be coming to this class with a great deal of knowledge on the study of Sexuality and Gender or Ancient Greece and Rome. It depends on your previous courses. No knowledge is expected, but you may need to work harder to become acquainted with one side or the other.
So we need to define our terms.
Sex is sometimes short for sexuality or sexual activity. Sometimes it means assigned (or biological) sex. Most of the time when we use the word ‘sex’ in this class we’ll mean sexuality or sexual activity.
Gender is culturally relative and individual. It should not be confused with assigned sex.
Review this basic overview from Planned Parenthood to be sure you understand the distinctions.
Read this short (just 5 pages) academic article (on BB):
Semley, Lorelle. “When We Discovered Gender: A Retrospective on Ifi Amadiume’s Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society.” Journal of West African History, vol. 3, no. 2, 2017, pp. 117–123. (JSTOR link – paywalled for CUNY included here only for reference!)
Reading Comprehension Questions:
- What is the theoretical significant of Amadiume’s work?
- Who is Scott?
- How has Amadiume’s work been mischaracterized? Why?
- Are Female Husbands Lesbians? Are Male Daughters Transgender?
- What lessons might we learn from Semley’s retrospective when approaching another culture different from our own?
- What does Semley mean by ‘Other‘?
To discuss sexuality, gender, and all other socio-cultural phenomenon we will regularly distinguish between behavior that is Normal (not uncommon), The Norm (most typical), or Normative (expected). Here’s a blog post explaining this more fully, read carefully! These categories can overlap. It’s not uncommon in Brooklyn to go to a private school; most children attend public schools; in some Brooklyn communities it is expected that children attend a religious school. In the United States its not uncommon to celebrate Hanukkah; most institutions and families celebrate Christmas in some way; some Americans use the celebration of 4th of July as an expression of patriotism and expect their neighbors to do the same.
Test yourself in four steps:
- How would you apply the language of Normal, Norm, and Normative to each of the above situations (school choice, holidays)?
- Think of another example I could add to this list.
- Use Normal, Norm, and Normative in one to three sentences to describe attitudes toward Halloween.
- Use Normal, Norm, and Normative in one to three sentences to describe attitudes towards mask wearing during the present pandemic.
Now that we have some vocabulary in common let’s look at some ancient material. We’ll start with a very misogynistic poem about women written by Semonides of Amorgos (not to be confused with the more famous in antiquity Simonides of Ceos!) in the mid 7th century BCE (so think c. 650 BCE).
A translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien
Bold indicates that Svarlien has a note on this portion of the poem. PDF Version.
From the start, the gods made women different.
One type is from a pig—a hairy sow
whose house is like a rolling heap of filth;
and she herself, unbathed, in unwashed clothes,
5 reposes on the shit-pile, growing fat.
Another type the gods made from a fox:
pure evil, and aware of everything.
This woman misses nothing: good or bad,
she notices, considers, and declares
10 that good is bad and bad is good. Her mood
changes from one moment to the next.
One type is from a dog—a no-good bitch,
a mother through and through; she wants to hear
everything, know everything, go everywhere,
15 and stick her nose in everything, and bark
whether she sees anyone or not.
A man can’t stop her barking; not with threats,
not (when he’s had enough) by knocking out
her teeth with a stone, and not with sweet talk either;
20 even among guests, she’ll sit and yap;
the onslaught of her voice cannot be stopped.
One type the gods of Mount Olympus crafted
out of Earth—their gift to man! She’s lame
and has no sense of either good or bad.
25 She knows no useful skill, except to eat
—and, when the gods make winter cold and hard,
to drag her chair up closer to the fire.
Another type is from the Sea; she’s two-faced.
One day she’s calm and smiling—any guest
30 who sees her in your home will praise her then:
“This woman is the best in all the world
and also the most beautiful.” The next day
she’s wild and unapproachable, unbearable
even to look at, filled with snapping hate,
35 ferocious, like a bitch with pups, enraged
at loved ones and at enemies alike.
Just as the smooth unrippled sea at times
stands still, a joy to mariners in summer,
and then at times is wild with pounding waves—
40 This woman’s temperament is just like that.
The ocean has its own perplexing ways.
Another type is from a drab, gray ass;
she’s used to getting smacked, and won’t give in
until you threaten her and really force her.
45 She’ll do her work all right, and won’t complain;
but then she eats all day, all night—she eats
everything in sight, in every room.
And when it comes to sex, she’s just as bad;
she welcomes any man that passes by.
50 Another loathsome, miserable type
is from a weasel: undesirable
in every way—un-charming, un-alluring.
She’s sex-crazed too; but any man who climbs
aboard her will get seasick. And she steals
55 from neighbors, and from sacrificial feasts.
Another type a horse with flowing mane
gave birth to. She avoids all kinds of work
and hardship; she would never touch a mill
or lift a sieve, or throw the shit outside,
60 or sit beside the oven (all that soot!).
She’ll touch her husband only when she has to.
She washes off her body every day—
twice, sometimes three times!— then rubs herself
with perfumed oil. She always wears her hair
65 combed-out, and dressed with overhanging flowers.
Such a wife is beautiful to look at
for others; for her keeper, she’s a pain
—unless he is a king, or head of state
who can afford extravagant delights.
70 Another type is from an ape. I’d say
that Zeus made her the greatest pain of all—
his gift to man! Her face is hideous.
This woman is a total laughingstock
when she walks through the town. She has no neck,
75 no butt—she’s all legs. You should see the way
she moves around. I pity the poor man
who holds this horrid woman in his arms.
She’s well-versed in every kind of trick
just like an ape; what’s more, she has no shame
80 and doesn’t care if people laugh at her.
She’d never think of doing something kind
to anyone; she plots the whole day long
to see how she can do the greatest harm.
Another type is from a bee. Good luck
85 in finding such a woman! Only she
deserves to be exempt from stinging blame.
The household that she manages will thrive;
a loving wife beside her loving man,
she’ll grow old, having borne illustrious
90 and handsome children; she herself shines bright
among all women. Grace envelops her.
She doesn’t like to sit with other women
discussing sex. Zeus gratifies mankind
with these most excellent and thoughtful wives.
95 But by the grim contrivances of Zeus
all these other types are here to stay
side by side with man forever. Yes,
Zeus made this the greatest pain of all:
Woman.
If she seems to want to help
100 that’s when she does her keeper the most harm.
A man who’s with a woman can’t get through
a single day without a troubled mind.
He’ll never banish Hunger from his house:
unwelcome, hateful lodger, hostile god.
105 Just when a man seems most content at home
and ready for enjoyment, by the grace
of god or man, that’s when she’ll pick a fight,
her battle-helmet flashing, full of blame.
A household with a woman is at a loss
110 to give a decent welcome to a guest.
The wife who seems the most restrained and good,
she’s the most disastrous of them all;
for while her slack-jawed husband gapes at her
the neighbors laugh at how he’s been deceived.
115 Each man will diligently praise his own
and blame the next man’s wife; we just don’t see
that we all share alike in this hard luck.
For Zeus made this the greatest pain of all
and locked us in a shackle hard as iron
120 and never to be broken, ever since
the day that Hades opened up his gates
for all the men who fought that woman’s war.
Comprehension Questions:
- How many different animals compared to women?
- What comparisons are not based on animals?
- What men are the butt of the poets jokes?
- How do gods come into it?
- Do you think the poet believe everything he says? Why or why not?
- Use the vocabulary terms “Other”, “Normal, Norm, Normative” to describe ideas expressed in this poem.
- Did you notice the image at the top of this page? Does this connect with your thoughts on this poem? Compare the dates.
[Just for Fun: A satirical critique of common defenses of misogyny as satire.]
Final part of this pre-unit, course prep. Practice skimming/scanning skills (review difference!) of these ten pages of the following book.
Mayhew, Robert. 2004. The female in Aristotle’s biology: reason or rationalization. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Comprehension Questions:
- What sex does Aristotle assign to king bees?
- What sex does Aristotle assign to mother wasps?
- Does Mayhew think this is a sign of gender bias in Aristotle? Why or why not?
- Based on Semonides and evidence presented by Mayhew are you inclined to agree or disagree with Mayhew’s conclusions on gender bias in Aristotle?
Gender & Sexuality 