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Questions for Feb 9th
- On p. 89 Lerner says "the subordination of women provided the
conceptual model for the creation of slavery as an institution and the
patriarchal family provided the structural model." What does she
mean by this statement? Do you find her argument convincing?
- How were the institutions of marriage, slavery and concubinage central
to the development of ancient societies?
- On p. 96 Learner stated that "the distinction between a free
married woman and a slave was expressed in degrees of unfreedom."
What are her arguments in support of this statement? How were the lives
of wives, slaves and concubines similar and/or different? Were these
rigid categories, or could a woman's status change?
- Do you find Lerner's analysis useful for understanding the representation
of Briseis, Helen and Andromache in the Iliad? What category
(or categories) would you put them in? What can we learn about the status
of women in archaic Greece from reading Homer?
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