Gavrylenko V. Body image in Ancient Greek culture (on the material of Homeric epics).

The object – is body image in Homeric epics; the purpose – to reveal, basing upon the philosophic and cultural studies’ tradition of body and corporeality phenomena research, the predominant body image in the Iliad and the Odyssey distinctive for its most high degree of generalization; the methods – hermeneutic, historic and genetic, textual, lexicosemantic, statistical and comparative analysis; novelty is determined by the choice of the research aspect. The result – a series of body images in Homeric epics is revealed, corresponding to the categories of the animal, human, and the godlike; to the different types of sensibilities (from tactile to visuality); presence of the dominant body image is demonstrated where meanings of skin, flesh, body, and colour are interlaced, peculiarity of which is vulnerability. The “vulnerable body” in Homeric epics shows hero’s mostly tactile existence in epic space and corresponds to penetration of objects and bodies as type of the world’s mastery. The “vulnerable body” is realized as body image which is the most neutral in respect of heroic values; branch – theory and history of culture, philosophy.