Cyclops

Abstract

This book provides an innovative, authoritative, and richly illustrated study of the myths relating to the Cyclopes from classical antiquity until the present day. It is the first such book-length study of the topic in any language. The first part, dealing with classical antiquity, is organized thematically: after discussing various competing scholarly approaches to the myths, Aguirre and Buxton analyse ancient accounts and images of the Cyclopes in relation to landscape, physique (especially eyes, monstrosity, and hairiness), lifestyle, gods, names, love, and song. While the man-eating Cyclops Polyphemus, famous already in the Odyssey, plays a major part, so also do the Cyclopes who did monumental building work, as well as those who toiled as blacksmiths. The second part of the book concentrates on the post-classical reception of the myths. Topics discussed include medieval allegory, Renaissance grottoes, Italian and Spanish poetry, Spanish drama, and the novels of Hugo, Joyce, and Ellison; in the visual arts, dozens of images are examined, beginning with the medieval and early modern periods, moving on to Surrealism and Abstract Impressionism, and ending with contemporary painting and sculpture. Movie Cyclopes also appear, as does a wonderful circus performance. The overall aim of the authors is to explore, not just the perennial appeal of the Cyclopes as fearsome monsters, but the depth and subtlety of their mythology, which raises complex issues of thought and emotion. All too often, a Cyclops is assumed to be nothing more than a gruesome one-eyed monster. This book seeks to demonstrate that there is far more to it than that—quite apart from the fact that Cyclopes are by no means always one-eyed!