where to begin

[Jen]

Hello one and all, asking with regards to a more general question, hope thats ok.Im about to embark on a dissertation on Alexander the Great and am using the summer to try and narrow down what aspects to discuss. I am very interested in the enduring nature of his image, but not sure how to narrow down the topic any further, ie) to within art, politics, his generalship or even what time period to base it on, should i stay ancient, modern, medieval? Any ideas as to what might be suitable area for a dissertation, or where to start looking to help me decide my field.Any help would very greatly recieved,Regards, a very stressed jen!

[nick]

The first thing to pop-up in my mind: I recently read a study "The history of the Devil from the Middle Ages to the Present" by Muchembled. Combining literature, artworks etc. Muchembled analyses the "evolution" of the image of evil (from a rather harmless Rumpelstiltskin in the Middle Ages, to the adversary of God in post-Renaissance Europe, and then on to the "entertainment" devil (esp. in France & Belgium).I would like to read a book / study about "the image of Alexander over the ages", how it developed and why. How many "Alexander's" have there been throughout history? How was this linked to socio-economic development?Just an idea. I am curious what others would suggest.Best regards -Nick

[andy19]

hey jen i will be in the same boat you are in a couple of years and i am al;ready stressed over it. why dont you focus on whether Alexanders life and deeds where triumph or tragedy? we all know that he was a brilliant general astute politician etc but there is a great sense of tragedy that surrounds him aswell that is wwhat i will be looking at when i come to do my disertation anyway! hope i have helped you a little!all the bestAndy

[agesilaos]

The best place to begin is the beginning ie our sources; you might try to isolate the pictures presented by the primary sources and relate them to the authors' experience historical setting; then move on to how the society of the secondary sources affected their use of this material and follow that with similar analysis of histories of Alexander down to the latest books on him. Putting the picture presented into the social context contempory with author. Similarly with the plastic arts

[marcus]

I bought a book at the weekend which you might find extremely useful as a starting point. Of course, I'm now going to prove extremely useless because I can't remember what the book is called. It's by a French woman (Claude Morre, or something like that), published in French in 2001 and translated to English in the last year or so. The introduction is by Paul Cartledge.I haven't read it yet, apart from a quick skim; but the author deals quite extensively (for a short book) on the Roman, Medieval and modern 'faces' of Alexander. All the bestMarcus

[susan]

An interesting, if possibly controversial, subject might be the influence of Alexander's images on religious imagery - did his statues & images influence how Mithraic & Christian images were portrayed ? (I think that they did)Susan

[Dr. Pal]

Dear Susan,I agree, but I would use the word GÇÿimageryGÇÖ in a wider sense than only the graphic and would also include another topic not often discussed in this forum, i.e. Mahayana.

Dr. Pal.

[Jen]

Dear Andy,So glad im not the only stressing one out there!!! Thanks for your help.Jen

[jen]

Thanks for th info, will have a look into those ideas.Jen

[Jen]

Thanks for those ideas, do i risk turning it into a study of the sources rather than the Alexander himself by taking this approach?But definately a starting point.Jen

[Jen]

Thanks for the interesting yet challenging reply!!!!Will give it a whirl.Regards.Jen

[Jen]

Thank you for giving me another avenue for explorationRegards,Jen

[smittysmitty]

Hi Jen,not to complicate issues for you, but without understanding/studying the sources, there is no understanding 'Alexander himself'- it all become fiction otherwise.

[Dr. Pal]

Dear Jen,
One word of caution. I am sure when Karl talks about GÇÿour sourcesGÇÖ he does not limit himself to only the Greek and Roman ones.
Dr. Pal

[jan]

Hi Jen, I wonder if there is a website where all dissertations on Alexander may be found. If someone hasn't made one yet, I surely think it would help if it could be done. I would love to be able to read all the many doctoral dissertations that could be made available. Usually, then it is best to choose something that has not already been overworked to death.