LHMP #510 Reineke & Downing 1993 Within the Shadow of the Herms

Given that I found Downing 1989 to have little relevance to the goals of the Project, it may be unsurprising that I find Reineke’s critique of it to be similarly of only tangential interest. Reineke begins by spending almost half of her article in a detailed summary and rewording of Downing’s points (something that Downing complements in her reply). Reineke’s critique focuses primarily on modern psychological theoretical interpretations, adding in additional frameworks of analysis. Her one historical critique is that Downing “is insufficiently mindful of [the] androcentrism and misogyny” of the ancient Greek sources and the society they were created in. Glossing over this context includes not recognizing (or at least, not acknowledging) that the women presented in, for example, Plato’s work represent a male-centered fiction and not an accurate reflection of women’s function in society. Downing’s response largely boils down to: “I think we’re closer in our interpretations than you believe, but maybe I was less clear than I could have been.” But, as with Downing 1989, the focus is strongly on modern psychoanalysis, not on history.