In Spite of Plato A Feminist REWRITING OF ANCIENT PHitc Adriana Cavarero Foreword by Rosi Braidotti TRANSLATED BY Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio.and Aine O’Healy Routledge New York‘This translation copyright © lity Press 1995 First published in Italian as Nonostante re femminili nella filosofs Riuniti 1990, lee 29 West 35th Street New York, NY 10001 All rights reserved, No part ofthis book may be printed or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known ot hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, ori any information Storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher ISBN 0415 914469 (cl) ISBN 0415 91447 7 (pb) ACIP catalog record for this book is available from the Libraty of Congress. ‘Typeset in Sabon on 11/13 pe by Colset Pte Ltd Singapore Printed in Great Britain by Harmolis Ltd., Bodmin, Cornwall ‘This book is printed om acid-free paper. Contents ‘Acknowledgements Foreword by Rosi Braidotti ‘Translators’ Note Introduction 1 Penelope 2 The Maidservant from Thrace 3 Demeter 4 Diotima Notes Bibliography IndexAcknowledgements The author, translator and publishers wish to thank the following ‘who have kindly given permission for the use of copyright material, Arsenale Editrice stl for Bianca Tarozzi, ‘Variazioni sul tema di Penelope’ from Nessuno vince il leone, 1989, p.21; Every effort has been made to trace all the copyright holders but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangement at the first opportunity. Foreword by Rosi Braidotti It is a privilege to introduce the first translation into English of a book-length work by Adriana Cavarero. As some of her s have already been translated in recent anthologies of nist theory and in other international publications, of this book is a timely and important ev Cavarero is one of Italy’s most prominent ancient philosophy specialists and she is by far the most important feminist philo- sopher of sexual difference in that country. She is Senior Lecturer in political philosophy at the University of Verona and has a distinguished list of publications in the field of ancient Greek philosophy as well as in modern political thought, especially Hobbes, Locke, and social contract theory. For Cavarero, as for most philosophers trained at her alma mater, the University of Padua, philosophy is grounded in the texts of the classical tradition which, beginning with antiquity, reaches all the way through to the German Hegelian tradition. Her interest in Marxism, in the tradition of Gramsci’s materialism, and in political theory in general also stems from this source. Throughout her career, Cavarero has been closely linked to left- wing theories and political movements. In addition she has played