The myth of Europe: Domesticating rape

Through his analysis of classical sources, the author finds no convincing g rounds for understanding the myth of Europe as the foundational myth of the modern political and cultural entity that calls itself Europe. In this Eur ope, however, it is widely believed that the Greek myth is the European fou ndational myth. By taking over Greek and Roman interpretations of the myth of Europe as a love story, and the adjunct eroticizing and banalizing of th e rape of Europe, rape has become a constitutive element of European identi ty.