The Goat Song

Drawing from the wealth of Greek literary, epigraphic, and monumental traditions, the author constructs a detailed and historically rich picture of the lives of 5th century B.C. Athenians. Combining the virtues of a historical narrative and a work of historical fiction which imagines episodes in the lives of famous and anonymous Athenians of every social class, The Goat Song is an accessible and entertaining recreation of a world-historical epoch that continues to shape contemporary Western culture. Albert Camus in our own era describes human being as meaning demanding creatures. Suffering without purpose, struggle without heroism, dying without the hope of some connection to a transcendent order or value makes life seem empty and pointless. Dr. Young's story-telling helps the curious reader to sympathetically understand the inner lives of ancient Athenians in terms of their own culture. The reader is led to see their world and the trajectory of their lives through the poetic stories of gods and heroes, political ideals, and philosophical theories which for ancient Athenians defined the possible meanings of their human aspirations and struggles.