Seeds of Change: A History of he Pomegranate as Symbol in Art and Literature

<p>This thesis examines the symbolism of the pomegranate from antiquity to the late nineteenth century. Beginning with the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone and the literature of the Old Testament, this fruit was employed to symbolize the cosmic cycle of life and death as well as the promise of immortality. The early Christians adopted this powerful image to represent the same themes in the life and work of Jesus Christ and the Church itself. This symbolism appears in art and literature throughout the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance period as well as in the nineteenth century. In both of these latter periods the pomegranate appears as a symbol of ancient myths and Christian themes.</p> <p>The pomegranate can thus be seen as an archetypal image representative of fertility, death, rebirth and resurrection. This thesis demonstrates how the ancient seeds of Persephone flowered into the symbolism of Christianity and continued to inspire artists and writers through the nineteenth century.</p> <p>-Thesis excerpt-</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Humanities

Year

1998

Author dc:creator

• Hadley, Kathryn

Contributors dc:contributor

• Leslie Ross, PhD
• James Mullane, PhD

• Humanities
• Arts and Humanities

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/201

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.dominican.edu:humanities-print-theses-1200