For Wednesday: Sappho, "Troy" and "Maidens and Marriage"

For Wednesday's class, read the next two sections of Sappho, "Troy" and "Maidens and Marriage," and consider some of the following questions for Wednesday's discussion:

* How does Sappho use ‘male’ subjects (war, heroes, heroines such as Helen) in the “Troy” poems?  How might she invite us to look differently at these ideas/themes, or to see these characters differently, especially a character like Helen of Troy, who is traditionally a ‘bad’ woman?

* Some of the poems in the last part of our reading are wedding songs, which celebrate the wedding night of the bride and groom.  How do these poems show us a different side of Sappho’s art? Also, how might this show that Sappho is like many artists, composing for different audiences and occasions, rather than simply writing for herself? 

* How might some of the “Maidens and Marriages” poems be advice from a mother to her daughter?  What advice might Sappho want to give to her daughters—or the next generation of women?

* Many of the poems lament the loss of maidenhood, or warnings against doing so. Why might this be such a concern for Sappho (or her audience)? 

* We discussed last time whether or not these poems reflect a lesbian identity, or whether or not Sappho would have understood this term or its limitation. However, to push her into a modern perspective again, could these poems be read through a feminist lens? Do they offer a sense of feminist identity to the reader? Does Sappho resist the norms of her society, or merely try to function within them?