CLA219H1 Lecture Notes - Orgasm, Epithalamium, Palimpsest
Document Summary
Very little is known about sappho, only fragments of her work are available. She has inspired the imagination of other authors which means that much of what is said about her has no historical reference. Most would call sappho a lesbian, true in the literal sense that she came from the island of lesbos. The term lesbian in regard to female homosexuality comes from the 19th century, so does the term sapphic. Tribade: greek for "to rub", the ancient term for gay women. In both modern times and ancient times lesbianism was taboo, afraid of the idea of an active woman and not needing a man sexually. Philaenis was a hetaerae"s name under which a pornographic handbook was distributed (most likely written by a man though) Lesbians a favoured target of the epigramist martial. Always remember that the voice a writer puts into a poem does not necessarily reflect their own view.
