Joseph Fontenrose
Encyclopedia
Joseph Eddy Fontenrose was an American classical scholar. He was centrally interested in Greek religion
and Greek mythology
; he was also an expert on John Steinbeck
, commenting on the mythology in Steinbeck's work.
He was from Sutter Creek, California
. Most of his academic career was spent at University of California, Berkeley
, where he had graduated in 1925 in Political Science, after an instructor position he held from 1937. An early influence was Ivan Linforth. He was made a professor in 1955, chaired the classics department, and became professor emeritus.
His politics were known to be socialist. He gave public support in the early 1960s to the Free Speech Movement
and Young People's Socialist League
. He showed a more conservative side in relation to student activism as it touched teaching.
In a 1966 book he subjected the myth-ritual theory to an intense attack, targeting the views of some of the associated scholars, particularly Lord Raglan
and Stanley Edgar Hyman
.
Greek religion
Greek religion can refer to several things, including*Ancient Greek religion**Greek hero cult**Eleusinian Mysteries**Hellenistic religion**Platonic idealism*Greek Orthodox Church*Religion in Greece*Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism...
and Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
; he was also an expert on John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
, commenting on the mythology in Steinbeck's work.
He was from Sutter Creek, California
Sutter Creek, California
Sutter Creek is a city in Amador County, California, United States. The population was 2,501 at the 2010 census, up from 2,303 at the 2000 census...
. Most of his academic career was spent at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he had graduated in 1925 in Political Science, after an instructor position he held from 1937. An early influence was Ivan Linforth. He was made a professor in 1955, chaired the classics department, and became professor emeritus.
His politics were known to be socialist. He gave public support in the early 1960s to the Free Speech Movement
Free Speech Movement
The Free Speech Movement was a student protest which took place during the 1964–1965 academic year on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley under the informal leadership of students Mario Savio, Brian Turner, Bettina Aptheker, Steve Weissman, Art Goldberg, Jackie Goldberg, and...
and Young People's Socialist League
Young People's Socialist League
The Young People's Socialist League , founded in 1989, is the official youth arm of the Socialist Party USA. The group's membership consists of those democratic socialists under the age of 30, and its political activities tend to concentrate on increasing the voter turnout of young democratic...
. He showed a more conservative side in relation to student activism as it touched teaching.
In a 1966 book he subjected the myth-ritual theory to an intense attack, targeting the views of some of the associated scholars, particularly Lord Raglan
FitzRoy Somerset, 4th Baron Raglan
Major FitzRoy Richard Somerset, 4th Baron Raglan was a British soldier, beekeeper, farmer and independent scholar. He is best known for his book The Hero, where he systematises hero myths.- Life :...
and Stanley Edgar Hyman
Stanley Edgar Hyman
Stanley Edgar Hyman was a literary critic who wrote primarily about critical methods: the distinct strategies critics use in approaching literary texts. Though most likely to be remembered today as the husband of writer Shirley Jackson, he was influential for the development of literary theory in...
.
Works
- Python; a study of Delphic myth and its origins (1959)
- John Steinbeck; an introduction and interpretation (1963)
- The Ritual Theory of Myth (1966)
- The Delphic Oracle: Its Responses and Operations (1978)
- Orion: The Myth of the Hunter and the Huntress (1981)
- Steinbeck's Unhappy Valley. A Study of The Pastures of Heaven (1981)
- Classics at Berkeley, The First Century (1869-1970) (1982)
- Didyma. Apollo's Oracle, Cult and Companions (1988)