"Sappho rejoined:… 'thou would'st have spoken of what is right'."
Aristotle, Rhetoric - trans. J. H. Freese.

In light of the wonderful posts we've had here this week, I'd like to wrap things up by taking a deeper look at Sappho herself. She was a lyrical poet, yes, adored by the likes of Plato and his ilk, but she was also a woman. She went through petty family drama, and was the subject of an Ancient penis joke. She was as real as you or I and yet, despite history taking literal bites out of her work, she has persevered to the point that we have devoted a week to her here. That speaks volume. Sappho, you go girl.

"someone will remember us
I say, even in another time"
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho - Anne Carson.

In order to understand the art we must first understand the artist, and the world in which they lived, and so I propose examining Fragment 16 within a historical framework, so that we might better place ourselves in Sappho's shoes (or, um, her sandals).

( Sappho and contemporary politics: Greece versus The World )

( Sappho and Love; Sappho versus History )