The Snake-Haired Muse: James K. Baxter and Classical Myth: James K. Baxter and Classical Myth

(Paperback)

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Contending that James K. Baxters use of Greek myth is close to the heart of his poetic vision, this book draws on the subjects entire career, mounting the first-ever sustained investigation of his vast corpus of unpublished poems. Baxters mythic figures and ambiguous symbols are explored, to which he repeatedly returned in his attempts to establish patterns out of the chaos of his experiences. Among the figures discussed in detail are the seaborn Venus; Dionysus, the liberating and destructive god of alcohol; the alienated voyager Odysseus; Theseus in his political labyrinth; and the hideous Gorgonwho also functions as the poets dangerous muse. Illuminating the complexity, adventurousness, imaginative energy, and unexpected wit of Baxters dealings with classical mythology, this volume sheds a new light on New Zealands most iconic poet. A comprehensive Whos Who in Baxters work and a detailed bibliographyare also included.

Author Bio

Geoffrey Miles is a senior lecturer in the school of English, film, theater, and media studies at Victoria University of Wellington, where his primary interest is the reception of the classics in English literature. He is the author of Shakespeare and the Constant Romans and the editor of Classical Mythology in English Literature.

John Davidson is a former professor of classics and head of the school of art history, classics, and religious studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He has had a long-standing research interest in the work of James K. Baxter alongside his extensive publications on Greek tragedy, mythology, and Homer.

Paul Millar is an associate professor at the University of Canterbury where he coordinates the English literature program and directs the humanities computing unit. He is the author of No Fretful Sleeper: A Life of Bill Pearson.