Ancient Greece: not shy about sex

A quick link to an article in the Guardian about a new Athenian exhibition of Greek visual art depicting all sorts of sexuality. The author notes that Aristophanes “devis[ed] 106 ways of describing the male genitals and 91 those of the female,” which I feel is remarkable all on its own. Even more remarkable, maybe, is the sensible age limit imposed for viewing the exhibition. Museum visitors under 16 are encouraged not to enter the most graphic section of the gallery without accompaniment by an adult:

“We felt it prudent for children under the age of 16 to be warned,” said the professor. “By the age of 16 they’ve heard about everything that they see here and read about it in magazines or on the internet.”

Indeed.

Category: Alcestis, Art, History

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About Alcestis

Alcestis

Beutner renders her multilayered heroine with beauty and delicacy, and concerns herself with no less than the intricacies of the soul.

Publisher's Weekly

About me

Katharine Beutner

I write fiction and creative nonfiction. I'm a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. My novel Alcestis, a retelling of the Greek myth, is now available from Soho Press.

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