The third component of this introductory section of the book is a series of three appendices that comment on a key point of the legend / history of Stesichoros: his being blinded by Helen of Troy in the aftermath of his criticism of her. That analysis is followed by similarly fictionalized fragments of Stesichoros’ poetry that introduce the story of the book’s central character (the monster Geryon) and relationship (that of Geryon with the hero Herakles). The book begins with an academically toned, somewhat fictionalized analysis of how the poet Stesichoros, writing in Ancient Greece shortly after the time of the narrative poet Homer, evolved the use of language in poetry. At the same time, the narrative and its imagery also explore thematic issues relating to the power of feelings, being different, and the significance of chance encounters. Its events and themes are primarily defined by Geryon’s coming of age, an experience itself defined by first love gone awry. The work is ultimately a prequel to the mythic story of the relationship between the murdered monster Geryon and the hero who killed him (Herakles here, more commonly known as Hercules). This “novel in verse” uses the poetry and history of classical Greek writer Stesichoros as a springboard for a poetic narrative that combines centuries-old legends with contemporary values.
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