Orpheus with his lute

the long version

The legend of Orpheus has exerted a powerful influence on the work of poets and artists through the ages--from the poetry of Virgil and Ovid and the Ovidian romances of the Middle Ages to the new mythologies of Blake and Rilke. Orpheus was believed to have aroused responses from inanimate nature as well as from living creatures, bringing about a peaceful order and even--in some cases-- restoring the dead to life. This challenging new study analyses the changing images of Orpheus in the poetry, sculpture and vase-painting of the ancient world. The author shows how later versions diverge from the early story of the divinely inspired poet-musician and reflect conflicting ideas about the nature of poetic creativity, its sources and powers. Orpheus with His Lute is essential reading for all those interested in literature and the psychology of aesthetic experience. It will also be of value to students of philosophy and the history of religion.