I stand corrected, Robin.
Nevertheless, perhaps I can be permitted a certain justice in my hastily
sensitive response - women are judged on their looks in ways that men
seldom have been. The only sign of change I can see is that it is
spreading to men, which is hardly progress.
So much more to this argument, and no time.
Best
Alison
On Sat, 22 Apr 2000, Robin Hamilton wrote:
> From: "Erminia Passannanti" <[log in to unmask]>
>
> > Dear Alison,
> >
> > we are hardly talking of a real human being, here. Why to bother: she is
> a
> > myth.
>
> > > The ugliness or otherwise of male poets is something which never seems
> to
> > > be mentioned. Why so, I wonder?
>
> As a Deeply Obscure (but perhaps relevant) Academic Point, the very scholia
> (early 3rd C. AD, so well after Sappho herself lived) which alludes to
> Sappho's alleged unattractiveness also comments negatively on the
> appearance of a male poet:
>
> "In appearance she seems to have been contemptible and quite ugly, being
> dark in complexion and of very small stature. The same is true of Alcaeus,
> who was smallish ..."
>
> And Aesop (does he count as a poet0 was almost proverbially ugly.
>
> Also Pope (is it in "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot"?) rabbits on about his
> physical unattractiveness.
>
> Robin Hamilton
>
>
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