The Philosopher, the Dog and the Wedding
The Story of the Infamous Female Philosopher Hipparchia
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An exploration of Hipparchia, one of the first female philosophers It is the 4th century BC in Greece. Hipparchia is about to marry the rich son of a family friend when she meets Crates. As the marriage approaches, Hipparchia becomes more and more captivated by the views and way of life of this strange philosopher who lives like a wanderer. Gradually she starts to realize that the safe, comfortable life of luxury that has been mapped out for her is actually a life of emptiness. This book shows us that the insights from thousands of years ago are still relevant today. Crates and Hipparchia were part of the cynical philosophy. In ancient Athens, the Cynics formed a provocative movement against all conventional values. One of their fundamental principles was that we can only attain true happiness if we are independent of material possessions and social position. Hipparchia was a strong woman who had the courage to live by her own ideals, despite all the prevailing beliefs of her time.
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An unexpected FEAST. I really, REALLY loved this one.
This is a historical fiction graphic novel about Hipparchia, a rare FEMALE Ancient Greek philosopher. This shows her daily life in ye olde Athens (circa 400BCE?). She is a dorky bookworm who likes to ponder the big questions - why is there anything, etc - and who constantly gets shut down by the well-meaning, but very basic, men in her life. Oh, also there are a lot of lecherous idiotic men, because the Patriarchy be patriarching super hard in this time and place.
This book really tickled me pink. I 100% related to Hipparchia - I was that nerdy bookworm back in my teen years. I also enjoy, still now, re-imagining my daily life in the garb of 19th century Victorian England, or 14th century Renaissance Florence, or whatever. I love to look at the people passing me on the street and imagine us all in some historical point in time: what would map onto what? Instead of worrying about ChatGPT, would we be worrying about those damn Guelphs and Ghibellines? I love it.
Oh yeah. I also realized this book is basically Disney's Beauty and the Beast, only much much purer and better. (And I like Beauty and the Beast, don't get me wrong.)
Hmm, given how much I loved this and how much I loved Kaoru Mori's A Bride's Story, I think I'm just 100% desperate for historical fiction, slice of life comix featuring relatable women and tons of anthropological detail.
