Mythology
1940
- manuel
- mythologie
- mythologie classique
- creation myths
- golden fleece
- trojan war
- reference
- mythology
- classical mythology
- folklore
The story
There has long been a need for the stories of ancient mythology written to appeal to the twentieth-century mind. Edith Hamilton's orderly and lucid presentation of Greek, Roman and Norse mythology promises the casual reader and the avid student a sound, modern and adult key to the foundation stones of world literature. Her years of study of classical literature have already produced notable books and the charm of her writing is well established by THE GREEK WAY and THE ROMAN WAY. She has not been content to be merely a reteller of tales. She has blended and organized the sometimes conflicting myths of the early storytellers, molding them with vivid clarity.
What it’s like
Clear, unfussy prose with the brisk authority of a good schoolroom lecturer, the kind of book you dip into with a cup of tea on a grey afternoon and a reading lamp pulled close. The voice is measured and rational, an adult narrator calmly sorting gods and heroes into a sensible order, so the tales of creation, Olympian quarrels, the Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece and the long Trojan War arrive as orderly chapters rather than wild incantations. Sensory detail is sparing: a sketch of a mountain, a glimpse of a palace hall, the wind off the sea, but mostly the pleasure is intellectual clarity and the satisfaction of a story laid out well. Pacing is steady and even, with little suspense built for its own sake. Violence, betrayal and divine cruelty appear as matter-of-fact events, narrated without gore or lingering horror, so it reads as mild in intensity. The emotional register is calm, curious and faintly wry, with people's fates described as the consequences of pride, jealousy and fate. It suits students, lifelong readers of myth, and anyone wanting a steady, lucid companion to the foundations of Western storytelling.
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