Book description
The figures and events of classical myths underpin our culture and
the constellations named after them fill the night sky. Whether it s
the raging Minotaur trapped in the Cretan labyrinth or the twelve
labours of Hercules, Aphrodite s birth from the waves or Zeus visiting
Danae as a shower of gold, the mythology of Greece and Rome is full of
unforgettable stories. All the stories of the Greek tragedies
Oedipus, Medea, Antigone are there; all the events of the Trojan
wars and of Odysseus and Aeneas epic journeys; the founding of Athens
and of Rome
These are the strangest tales of love, war, betrayal and heroism
ever told and, while brilliantly retelling them, this book shows how
they echo through the works of much later writers from Chaucer and
Shakespeare to Camus and Ted Hughes. Full of attractive illustrations
and laid out in eighteen clear chapters (the titles include Dangerous
Women and Heroes ), Dr Jennifer March has written a fascinating
guide to the myths of classical civilization that is as readable as a novel.
Dr Jennifer March has taught at Oxford and London universities, is
author of the acclaimed
Cassell Dictionary of Classical Mythology
and Editor of the Classical Association's journal
CA News
.
