Synopses & Reviews
This volume clarifies in a logical and didactic manner the sequence of events that characterize the human menstrual cycle. Each major organ involved in the cycle, the brain, the pituitary gland, the ovary, and the uterus is discussed and its contribution specifically outlined. The chapters
trace the physiologic events within each of these organs, describe the hormones by which they communicate, and outline how critical aspects of the cycle are synchronized so that an ovulatory cycle can occur. Thus neuroendocrine control of the menstrual cycle is examined in detail, and the processes
of follicular development, maturation, ovulation, and maintenance of the corpus luteum are thoroughly covered. The book then turns to pathophysiology and examines the conditions under which the menstrual cycle may become abnormal. Pathophysiological mechanisms that cause cycle disturbance,
anovulation, and infertility are reviewed, as are clinical presentations of common menstrual disorders and their treatment. Progress in reproductive biology has been rapid, and the research spans several disciplines. In this volume information dispersed in many publications has been synthesized and
concisely presented, providing an in-depth understanding of the processes that control reproductive function in the female.
Review
"I highly recommend [the book] as an engaging and insightful study, of interest both to classicists and students of literature in general....A fluid, readable commentary on the second self in ancient epic."--New England Classical Newsletter and Journal
"Clearly written and well organized; Van Nortwick reads texts closely and frequently draws parallels within and between these epics. His book will prove useful to undergraduates and to teachers beginning their work with these epics."--Choice
"A valuable study that will repay the time spent with it, both by readers interested in the hero's journey as the search for self-realization and by readers who delight in close, insightful, personal readings of three great epics."--Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature
"This books offers a language for analyses that many have been trying to articulate for years. The understanding which the author provides of Achilles' relationship with Hector and Patroclus is exemplary, and the section on the Aeneid is equally filled with lucid gems....This is a book that will make any reader think, and think hard, about relationships within the text, as well as relationships of a different sort across time. It provides good evidence of the usefulness of modern approaches applied to classical texts, as well as evidence of some of the inherent problems."--The Classical Outlook
"Valuable for every teacher of Vergil in colleges."--Religious Studies Review
"Somewhere I Have Never Travelled leaves its readers with the impression that Van Nortwick has himself travelled heroically....Not just for psychologists, but for classicists and lay persons as well."--Classical World
Synopsis
The ancient hero's quest for glory offers metaphors for our own struggles to reach personal integrity and wholeness. In this compelling book, Van Nortwick traces the heroic journeys in three seminal works of ancient epic poetry,
The Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's
Iliad, and Virgil's
Aeneid. In particular, he focuses on the relationship of the hero to one or more second selves, or alter egos, showing how the poems address central truths about the cost of heroic self-assertion: that the pursuit of glory can lead to alienation from one's own deepest self, and that spiritual wholeness can only be achieved by confronting what appears, at first, to be the very negation of that self. With his unique combination of literary, psychological, and spiritual insights, Van Nortwick demonstrates the relevance of ancient literature to enduring human problems and to contemporary issues.
Somewhere I Have never Travelled will interest anyone who wishes to explore the roots of human behavior and the relationship between life and art.
Synopsis
Exploring the hero's journey as a metaphor for spiritual evolution in The Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's Iliad, and Virgil's Aeneid, and focusing in particular on the relationship of the hero to one or more "second selves," or alter egos, Van Nortwick demonstrates how the poems address central and enduring truths about human life: that the exertion of heroic will in pursuit of glory can lead to alienation from one's own deepest self and that spiritual wholeness can only be achieved through confrontation with what appears at first to be the very negation of the self. Though addressing issues of interest to classical scholars the book offers an interpretation of the poems which is accessible to students and to others interested in how imaginative constructs reflect life. Because the hero's journey forms the backbone of each poem, the discussion also serves as an introduction to the central themes and historical evolution of ancient epic. An extensive annotated list of sources suggests avenues for further exploration of the ideas raised in the book, and a bibliographical essay aimed at scholars discusses relationship of the book's argument to previous scholarship on the poems.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-197) and index.