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Hi Mark

I assume you have identified one of the problems and one that it seems Dover acknowledged. But Davidson’s problems with Dover/Foucault are a) that they emphasise genital acts and fail to thank the emotional dimension of the relationships they describe and b) that too much importance is attached to the act of penetration and the consequent development of a reductive power/domination model. This is to paint both sides of the argument in primary colours but I verb it captures the essence.

Dover’s study is of course ground breaking and of major importance. Nevertheless the way he talks about “homosexuality” is naturally situated in framework of views that come across rather dated. I am by no means up to date on the latest scholarship but Dover was writing in a day before “queer studies” became as mainstream as it is now. But perhaps thats a subject for a separate thread.

Here are the various reviews and replies which appeared in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review. There is obviously a lot of sniping going on but there is an acknowledgement that David