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410:). Shortly after the victory, Alexias takes Lysis' widow under his protection, marries her and continues his family line. The book ends with the postscript that this story (incomplete and long-forgotten) has been found by Alexias' grandson (also named Alexias), a commander of Athenian cavalry in the service of Alexander the Great.
382:, the Athenian general who flees Athens on a charge of sacrilege and functions as a military adviser to Sparta until he is recalled by a resurgent democracy in Athens. Alexias and Lysis serve under Alcibiades' command until his carelessness leads the fleet to disaster and he once again goes into exile.
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The novel is narrated by
Alexias, a noble Athenian youth, who becomes a noted beauty in the city and a champion runner. The novel suggests that young male Athenians were treated almost like modern debutantes and wooed by older men seeking to be their lovers; in fact, in a memorable passage, Alexias'
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In the course of the novel, Lysis falls in love with and marries a woman who sees
Alexias favourably and encourages the continuation of her husband's relationship with him. Not long after this, Athens is defeated by Sparta in the
316:. The father imparts to the son the traits he should seek in a lover – qualities like honour, loyalty and courage. However, the father also warns the son not to become involved with women as he is much too young. (See
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figures prominently; both
Alexias and Lysis become his students in their youth. Socrates was very prominent around the city, always talking to new people. Also characterised in the novel are
425:(drinking parties), the treatment of women, the importance of athletic, military and philosophical training among young men, marriage customs, and daily life in war and peace.
442:
that "This gorgeous and elegiac exploration of the
Peloponnesian War is remarkable for its honest and intimate treatment of homosexuality in Ancient Greece."
275:, the setting that would become her most important arena. The novel was published in 1956 and is the second of her works to feature male
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father, Myron, himself a former beauty and champion athlete, writes to his son before leaving Athens for the
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Lost Gay Novels: A Reference Guide to Fifty Works from the First Half of the
Twentieth Century
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when he leads a force of exiles to liberate Athens. Lysis is killed in the battle between the
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and a student of
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483:(1972) quickly became best-sellers within the gay community...
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engages the mores and culture of
Classical Greece, including
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within the gay community. The book is a portrait of
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347:. The story ends with first hints of the eventual
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343:rule over Athens, the democratic rebellion of
327:(adolescent male), Alexias falls in love with
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394:. Alexias and Lysis go to Thebes, joining
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111:Learn how and when to remove this message
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366:who were Socrates' students, including
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500:"Five Books About the Ancient World"
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49:adding citations to reliable sources
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735:Cultural depictions of Socrates
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36:needs additional citations for
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362:and several figures from his
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725:Novels set in ancient Greece
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730:Bisexuality-related fiction
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173:Longmans, Green & Co
687:The Nature of Alexander
715:Novels by Mary Renault
271:'s first novel set in
60:"The Last of the Wine"
628:The Bull from the Sea
218:350pp (1958 hardback)
124:The Last of the Wine
16:Novel by Mary Renault
612:The Last of the Wine
577:Contemporary fiction
532:The Last of the Wine
477:The Last of the Wine
419:The Last of the Wine
287:at the close of the
264:The Last of the Wine
45:improve this article
720:British LGBT novels
710:1956 British novels
314:Sicilian Expedition
291:and the end of the
256:PR6035.E55 L37 2001
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636:The Mask of Apollo
604:Historical fiction
408:Battle of Munychia
318:Athenian pederasty
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620:The King Must Die
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679:Non-fiction
396:Thrasybulus
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496:Cole, Myke
446:References
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380:Alcibiades
289:Golden Age
281:bestseller
101:March 2015
71:newspapers
568:Works by
468:Routledge
434:Myke Cole
429:Reception
364:Dialogues
169:Publisher
511:31 March
475:(1953),
462:(2003).
423:symposia
368:Xenophon
356:Socrates
333:wrestler
301:Socrates
231:47781915
208:Hardback
151:Language
505:Tor.com
439:Tor.com
404:Piraeus
206:Print (
154:English
85:scholar
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325:ephebe
323:As an
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360:Plato
329:Lysis
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190:1956
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64:news
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