Myths of the Ancient Greeks [Paperback]

Richard P. Martin (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

Presented in simple, yet flowing prose, Richard P. Martin delivers an accessible interpretation of the Greek myths for today's readers. Relive the triumphs and tragedies of Herakles, Perseus, Prometheus, Hermes, Zeus, and many more mortals and gods in this must-have volume.

Includes two easy-to-read maps of Ancient Greece, and eighteen original illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451206851
• ISBN-13: 978-0451206855
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Fairy Tales

More About the Author

Biography (from Stanford University, Humanities and Sciences website):

Professor Richard P. Martin teaches Greek and Latin literature at Stanford. Martin's research focuses primarily on Homeric poetry and how it functioned as a performance art in ancient Greece. His research involves fieldwork in modern Crete where he interviews people there who still perform traditional oral epics. His analysis of audio recordings of people singing these poems led him to find a number of similarities with ancient Greek epic poetry. In addition,he has studied resemblances between ancient oral poetry and modern rap.

Prof. Martin is currently working on two books concerning Homer: the first, Rhapsodizing Homer, looks at how ancient competitive performance can aid in the understanding of the poems of Homer, Hesiod, and the hymns; the second, The Last Hero Song: Telemachus and the Generation of the Odyssey, is about the self-consciousness of the Odyssey in terms of the end of a tradition.

Martin is also currently working on the performance of Greek lyric as represented in myth and art, as well as editing a collection of essays on the analysis of Greek myth. He is just starting another book on Homeric theology and poetics. He has worked on presenting Homer digitally, in a full-scale multimedia version of the Odyssey on CD, in connection with distance learning experiments.

Born and raised in Boston, he studied Classics as well as Medieval and Modern Irish language and literature at Harvard University where he received his B.A. in Classics and Celtic Literature and M.A. and Ph.D. in Classical Philology. Before coming to Stanford in 2000, Professor Martin taught Classics for eighteen years at Princeton University. He was the Chair of the Classics department at Stanford from 2002 through 2008.

Key Works

"Read on Arrival," in The Wandering Poets of Ancient Greece, edit. R. Hunter and I. Rutherford. Cambridge 2009.

"Words Alone are Certain Good(s)" TAPA (138.2) 313-49 (2008)

"Myth, Performance, Poetics: the Gaze from Classics," pp. 45-52 in Ethnographica Moralia: Experiments in Interpretive Anthropology, edit. Neni Panourgia and George Marcus. New York: Fordham UP.

"Outer Limits, Choral Space," pp.35-62 in Visualizing the Tragic: Drama, Myth, and Ritual in Greek Art and Literature, edit. Chris Kraus, Simon Goldhill, Helene P. Foley, Jas Elsner. Oxford, 2007.

"Homer among the Irish: Synge, Yeats, George Thompson, and Parry," pp 75-91 in Homer in the Twentieth Century: Between World Literature and the Western Canon, edit. Barbara Graziosi and Emily Greenwood. Oxford.

The Birds (Aristophanes). Translated and adapted with Paul Muldoon. Gallery Press, 1999.

"The Scythian Accent: Anacharsis and the Cynics" in B. Branham & M.-O. Goulet-Caze eds. The Cynics: The Cynic Movement in Antiquity and Its Legacy. University of California Press, 1997: 136-55.

The Language of Heroes: Speech and Performance in the Iliad. Cornell University Press, 1993.

"The Seven Sages as Performers of Wisdom" in C. Dougherty and L. Kurke eds. Cultural Poetics of Archaic Greece: Cult, Performance, Politics. Cambridge University Press, 1993: 108-128.

"Telemachus and the Last Hero Song" Colby Quarterly 29.3 (1993): 222-40.

"Hesiod's Metanastic Poetics" Ramus 21.1 (1992): 11-33.

Healing, Sacrifice, and Battle: Amechania and Related Concepts in Early Greek Poetry. Institut fur Sprachwissenschaft der Universitat Innsbruck, 1983.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise yet Thorough, November 14, 2004

By 

CreepyT "CreepyTendencies" (Colorado, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Myths of the Ancient Greeks (Paperback)

Have you ever wondered what the Greek perspective was on the beginnings of the earth (Gaia)? How did Zeus come to reign over Mount Olympos with Hera, his sister, by his side? What were, according to the ancient Greeks, the origins of humans? And what exactly is Pandora's box anyway? Richard Martin divulges all of this and more in this excellent, all-encompassing text on Greek myth.

The introduction speaks of where Greek myth comes from, mentioning, of course, Hesiod's Theogony, Homer, and the like. The early chapters introduce us to Chaos (whether it be a mere entity or a personification), Gaia, Eros, Ouranos, and the Titans, before leading into the Olympians. There are also chapters on Greek heroes, such as Herakles, Theseus, Perseus, and Jason. Tales from Athens and Thebes are also covered quite extensively. The final chapter speaks of the war at Troy. The chronology this material is presented in flows quite well, making it easy to read straight through, though it can also be read in small scattered segments if need be.

I bought this book as a supplemental study aid for a course I recently took in Greek and Roman mythology, ended up reading it cover to cover, and I found that I actually turned to it more often than the course textbook. I found it easier to read than the course textbook, even though it covered the same basic information (with very few minor exceptions). Each myth or legend reads more like a short story than a blasé academic diatribe, making the material much more easily digestible and interesting. Martin also adds in a little bit of background information that helps to put many of the myths and legends into context, which can be intriguing at times. Martin also includes a few maps and family trees, which are a great quick reference. Another plus is that this is much cheaper than a textbook! Overall this is a great reference for both the classics student or professor, as well as the casual reader with an interest in ancient myth. Highly recommended!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good collections of Greek myths told in a clear prose format, January 6, 2008

By 

Roman Martel "R. Martel" (California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Myths of the Ancient Greeks (Paperback)

This is one of the best collections of greek myths available. It presents the stories clearly and in a prose form that is easy to read and understand. It also tells the stories in a dynamic fashion, allowing the reader to thrill with the adventures of Greek gods and heroes.

The book covers the origins of the gods and titans and covers all the most famous stories up to the Trojan war and Odysseus' return home. It also includes a family tree of the gods and goddesses, a map of the ancient Greek world and a list of recommended reading for those readers who want to find out more about the myths.

This is probably the most concise and clear book on Greek myths and offers a great introduction to anyone who is just starting to explore this field, or to readers who just want to sit down with their favorite story. Highly Recommended.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, August 19, 2003

By 

Naji Anaizi "Naji" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Myths of the Ancient Greeks (Paperback)

A concise thoughtful introduction to Greek Mythology. The Author provides the most popular version of the Greek myths, but also informs readers on the details that ancient sources disagree. The book is very readable. If you were like me and have little knowledge of Greek mythology, this book will increase your knowledge tremendously. The introduction of the book also offers a window to how mythology has been studied and analyzed over time.