Naked Spartans and Lesbian Poetry: A Journey of Discovery in the Careers Room

Minds out of the gutter, if you please.

Thank you.

Now that we're all feeling a little bit more uncomfortable studious, I'd like to have a brief discussion of the subjects mentioned in the title, starting, in the traditional Homeric style, with the latter.

Sappho, the most famous classical lesbian poet in all of Greece (shut up; it's a valid niche genre, alright?), is, unsurprisingly, famous for her classical lesbian poetry. Originally, my intention was to use her poetry as evidence in depicting the ideal of female beauty everywhere outside of Sparta, but upon reading her work, I discovered that this would be... problematic, to say the least. Sappho, you see, writes primarily of the heart. The body is of secondary importance. As it should be. So while it is evident that her romantic poetry is addressed to lovely women, Sappho focuses on her passions, emotions and desires, as opposed to providing detailed descriptions of the women's physical appearances. The tone of her writing and brief references to the women's bodies assure the reader that the subject is beautiful, but there is actually very little specific description.

Soooooo, what I'm thinking of doing is using the relevant fragments of Sappho's poetry in addition to extracts from Homer's The Odyssey to provide a more complete picture of idealized female beauty. Nausicaa will probably make an appearance, as well as Penelope. And what study of beauty would be complete without a mention of Helen of Troy, the face that launched one thousand ships?

Moving on to the subject of naked Spartans, all research is going well. Full steam ahead; all systems are go; pull the lever, Kronk! Etc, etc. You get the idea. I've got lots of information on what was valued in women, physically speaking, and the cultural reasons why. Now what I really need is a plan but...



Ever? No seriously when have you seen me write an essay plan? (The correct answer is 'never', by the way.) However, as it's the Special Study and that's kind of important (read: to stop Emily from having a panic attack tomorrow morning when she realises I haven't written anything) I've started fiddling with a plan. I shall post it tomorrow morning at some point and then start work on the draft. But first I'll have to go borrow The Odyssey. Again. Eugh, I thought I was rid of that thing forever. I even made a little speech before I flung it down the return chute with more than the necessary vigor. I should have known... *shakes fist dramatically* Anyway, ta ta for now. :P