Customer Reviews

Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

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Morales gives an interesting take on the way classical myths have been understood, interpreted, and reworked over the centuries and attempts to explain their power in our lives. I appreciated knowing that classical mythology has always been confusing to people and that even in ancient times "mythographers" played a key role in cataloging the traits and stories attributed to the various gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines. It was also enlightening to learn that the writers of the great Greek tragedies took liberties with the material they received in order to achieve dramatic effect and manipulate meanings, a lesson that should make us more forgiving when Hollywood takes liberties with classical texts. Morales is especially convincing in her lambasting of Robert Graves' THE WHITE GODDESS and in her analysis of myth and sexuality. If you're looking for a catalog of who's who in classical mythology, this is not the book for you. If you're looking for a quick but thoughtful exploration of the role and power of myth in lived human experience, you won't be disappointed.

Two other entries in this Very Short Introduction series can be seen as companion volumes to the present one. They are Classics, by Mary Beard & John Henderson, and Myth by Robert A. Segal. I would recommend reading those two - in either order - and then this one, although they each stand very well alone.

Morales discusses various interpretations of the role of myth in Western culture, its functions and significance. Although she distances herself from works that restrict themselves to narrations and summaries of the myths themselves, she does include a list of Classical deities and their attributes, unapologetically admitting, "I am having my cake and eating it by including this". But the focus throughout is very much on the nature and function of myth rather than its content. The chapter on Freudian psychoanalysis is particularly interesting.

She writes very well, often with a light touch and with frequent popular culture references.

The book concludes with a useful 5-page Timeline - from 800 BC, "Early Greece" to 2007, the publication of this book - a comprehensive Reference section, and a very useful Further Reading section.

If you want an understanding of myth, how it evolves and how it continues to be relevant, you should read this book.
[PeterReeve]

All civilizations and traditions have had fairly well developed mythologies, but in terms of the impact on the Western culture and civilization the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome clearly stands out. These two co-dependent mythological traditions have evolved over the course of almost a thousand years, and have left an indelible mark on the culture of ancient Mediterranean. Jointly they have come to be known as "Classical Mythology," and have been on and off part of the Western educational curriculum to this day.

This very short introduction to Classical Mythology aims to explore and explain the enduring influence of classical mythology on our cultural and political metaphors. This is a book about ideas, rather than a detailed account of all the aspects of classical mythology. It tackles the very notion of what mythology is, and argues that mythology as a separate part of literary, religious, and social sphere was not recognized as such by the ancients. It was rather considered an integral part of everyday life, on par with what today may be occupied by all sorts of national histories and common cultural markers. The book also emphasizes the fact that myths were not static and immutable, but rather malleable and easily adapted to various purposes. This has been the case all the way until today. Hardly a year passes without a major film that is based on classical mythology - Troy, Hercules, and Clash of the Titans spring immediately to mind. These Hollywood adaptations have been significantly altered and sanitized for the modern movie audiences.

This is a very engaging and intellectually stimulating book. Helen Morales is a witty and perceptive writer, and this book was very enjoyable to read. However, this is not an introduction to the summaries of major classical myths, and if you are looking for a book that will provide those you may be disappointed.

I've read many of the "Very Short Introduction" series, and generally found them excellent. However, this book was a real disappointment, and it does not do justice to its title or to the series. From the title, I thought I would get the kind of introduction that I've gotten from other books in the series - a general overview of the subject - but in fact this book tells you very little about classical mythology. Instead, you learn the author's opinions on certain interpretations of mythology, as well as her take on some contemporary topics, including gender issues, with a focus on politically correct themes. The author is clearly more interested in expressing her views on these kinds of issues than with giving you any kind of a substantial introductory understanding of what classical mythology is about. If you are interested in the subject of classical mythology because you simply want to gain an understanding of what it is, this is definitely not the introductory book you are looking for. If you want to learn, for example, who some of the most well-known figures in classical mythology are, what their stories consist of, or what the major themes in classical mythology are, you will be especially disappointed with this book.