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Pandora's Jar
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths | Natalie Haynes
Natalie Haynes is the nation's muse' Adam Rutherford The Greek myths are among the world's most important cultural building blocks and they have been retold many times, but rarely do they focus on the remarkable women at the heart of these ancient stories. Stories of gods and monsters are the mainstay of epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, from the Trojan War to Jason and the Argonauts. And still, today, a wealth of novels, plays and films draw their inspiration from stories first told almost three thousand years ago. But modern tellers of Greek myth have usually been men, and have routinely shown little interest in telling womens stories. And when they do, those women are often painted as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil. But Pandora the first woman, who according to legend unloosed chaos upon the world was not a villain, and even Medea and Phaedra have more nuanced stories than generations of retellings might indicate. Now, in Pandoras Jar, Natalie Haynes broadcaster, writer and passionate classicist redresses this imbalance. Taking Pandora and her jar (the box came later) as the starting point, she puts the women of the Greek myths on equal footing with the menfolk. After millennia of stories telling of gods and men, be they Zeus or Agamemnon, Paris or Odysseus, Oedipus or Jason, the voices that sing from these pages are those of Hera, Athena and Artemis, and of Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Eurydice and Penelope.
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ncsufoxes
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Pickpick

Great audio book read by the author. I loved this re-examination of the stories about Greek women in mythology. My 8 year old has become obsessed with mythology so I‘ve been seeking out more stories. I never really learned mythology growing up (we had a parent object to us learning about it, early book ban). I learned some about mythology in college through art history. I started listening to Haynes‘ books, which has been fascinating & engaging.

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Super_Jane
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Pickpick

4/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 #greekmythology #women

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ravenlee
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Pickpick

This book is fantastic. Not a retelling, but an analysis of female characters in Greek myths. Think you know their stories? Think again. Haynes‘ writing is clear, funny, sardonic, and easy to follow. I listened to parts on audio and her voice is great! She unearths classic sources and critiques modern voices to round out these women, and I hope she writes more in this vein. Now on to her fiction and trying out her podcast 👇🏻

ravenlee (I‘ve actually never listened to a podcast and really have no idea how to do so, but I intend to find out so I can hear more of Haynes‘ work) 4mo
TheBookHippie Ooooooo this looks good! 4mo
TheBookHippie Oh duh I read her other book 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣 4mo
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EclecticBookLover She has a new book coming out in 2024, all about Greek Godesses. I just saw it today while buying books for work. Her book Stone Blind a retelling of Medusa also looked really good. 4mo
AllDebooks 😍 4mo
ravenlee @EclecticBookLover awesome! Thanks for telling me. I have A Thousand Ships on my shelf, and now I just need to obsessively hunt down the rest of her backlist, and preorder the new one! 4mo
GondorGirl Natalie Haynes is a gift! I've read most of her books and have watched a bunch of her talks online. She's so engaging. 🥰 4mo
GondorGirl @EclecticBookLover Stone Blind was the best Greek myth retelling I've ever read. And I've read a LOT. 4mo
EclecticBookLover @GondorGirl There are SO many right now. It seems to be a big trend in publishing. I saw another one today retelling Medea. I can‘t remember the author though 😞 4mo
GondorGirl @EclecticBookLover I know this one comes out next year. I follow her online and this sounds really good! 4mo
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Cazxxx
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Pickpick

Loved every minute
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

GondorGirl I'm obsessed with Natalie Haynes! 🥰 6mo
Cazxxx @GondorGirl Oh same! I will watch, read or listen to anything she does 6mo
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mrsmarch
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I‘m a little behind on #bookspin reads….but I‘m working my way through the backlog. Looking forward to Hester and The Traitor‘s Wife, this month‘s #bookspin and #doublespin reads!

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Amie
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Pickpick

A look at several women from mythology, how they've been portrayed from ancient times to modern, and which versions of their stories have endured. I enjoyed the author's wry, sardonic commentary.

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normasue
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"Myths may be home of the miraculous, but they are also mirrors of us."
I love this statement, as well as the idea it communicates. I think this is why myths are so timeless as well as why society (including myself) can't get enough of them in all their iterations.
I didn't expect the scholarly commentary format of this book, but I'm really enjoying it.

#pandora #mythology #greekmythology #greekmythologyretelling #womeninmyth

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catiewithac
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This is one of the 1st books I started this year, but I got stuck in the Medusa chapter when I had several library books to read on deadline. It‘s described as literary criticism but I would call it a collection of feminist essays about famous women in Greek mythology. Haynes is an exceptional scholar and masterful writer. She weaves obscure classical sources with modern films and Beyoncé. A true delight! ?#LitsyLove

Lucy_Anywhere Oooh I have this one on my kindle - I‘m looking forward to it! 13mo
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catiewithac
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My sleep schedule is a mess this week. I‘ve been awake since 5am! So I‘ve written some #LitsyLove letters and am now reading with my furever companion, Theo! ❤️🐾

AmyG Sweet Theo ❤️ 13mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks That face says we need to go back to bed 🤣🤣🤣 13mo
keithmalek He's cute! 13mo
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batsy Theo! 😍 13mo
JamieArc Hi Theo! (And hi to you too, Catie) 😁 13mo
dabbe Thoughtful Theo! What an adorable pup! Those eyes! Those ears! That face!❣️🐾❣️ 13mo
Sleepswithbooks My heart just burst into warm fuzzies seeing Theo‘s face 🐶❤️💛🥰 13mo
UwannaPublishme Awww! That adorable face! Give Theo a hug for me! 🐶❤️ 13mo
Karons1 Look at that face 😘😘🥰🥰😍 9mo
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Becker
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Now this should be interesting. ⚱️

Tamra I‘ve had my eye on this one for quite a while! 13mo
Rissreads Love this! 13mo
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TheEllieMo
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#12BooksOf2022

My favourite read in October was this exploration of how women have been portrayed on the various versions and retellings of the Greek Myths.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Looks a good read. 1y
BookmarkTavern This looks so interesting! 1y
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RamsFan1963
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July's pick for #12BooksOf2022 came down to the tagged book and The Rise and Reign of The Mammals/Steve Brusatte. I chose Pandora's Jar because of my love for Greek Mythology and the profound way this book changed how I viewed those stories.
@Andrew65

Andrew65 Looks a good choice. 1y
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catiewithac
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Harper, what a lovely holiday surprise!! Thank you so much for the very sweet #LitsyLove package. ❤️ I‘m already loving this book. 🤗 I‘m also obsessed with lotion and lip balm and loving this set. I haven‘t tried the coffee yet, but I expect it to fuel me through a few nights of holiday cookie baking! Thank you so much!!!!! ☕️ 😘

CoffeeNBooks Yay! I'm glad it got there. Thank you so much for helping keep my spirits up this year!! 💗 1y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️❤️❤️ 1y
CoffeeNBooks I got a package from you today! Thank you! 💙 1y
catiewithac @CoffeeNBooks It‘s coming in 3 shipments. Sorry that Amazon split it up like that! 1y
CoffeeNBooks @catiewithac I'm saving all of my gifts until Christmas anyway, so that's fine. 😀 1y
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HettyG
Pickpick

Another fascinating look at mythological women by a passionate author!

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TheEllieMo
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I really enjoyed this look at how women in the Greek myths have been depicted, and how the depictions have changed over time, in keeping with the mores of society at the time. Haynes‘ writing is easy to read, peppered with modern references and amusing asides, making it a very accessible look at what can be made to be a very dry subject.

Aimeesue Haynes' podcast (Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics) is one of my faves. ❤️ 1y
TheEllieMo @Aimeesue it‘s good, isn‘t it?! Have you ever seen her live? She appears regularly at my local Literature Festival so I always try to get tickets 1y
Aimeesue @TheEllieMo Much to my dismay, lit and author-wise, I live in the US, so she does not appear in my locale on the regular. Now I'm jealous! 1y
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BriannaT
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Pickpick

I am so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book! I thought it would be a little dry, like other academic writings that analyze myth, but this was entertaining and made me laugh so many times. It made me look at important figures in a different light, and I learned some new things too. I don‘t think you have to be a myth buff to enjoy this book, as long as you have a good sense of humor and a ready mind it‘s a good read.

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Booksbymybed
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Final book of October and what a fascinating read! How well do we know the ladies of Greek mythology? I as it turned out not nearly well enough. An in depth look into stories of 10 women, how often do we see them represented as more than a conquest or accessory in popular culture? Looking forward to further reading on the subject.

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TheEllieMo
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I‘ve not been very active on Litsy for a while, lost my reading mojo and other things were demanding my time. I‘m reading more again now and want to try and be more active here again. I see the #WeeklyForecast is still a thing so here‘s my forecast. More studying and a continuation of my Natalie Haynes binge-reading!

Aimeesue Natalie Haynes! ❤️❤️❤️ Her podcast is one of my most favorite listens. 1y
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Johanna414
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Pickpick

This book was excellent- I learned so much about Greek myths i wasn't already familiar with, but also those i thought i knew well. Haynes writes with such a great sense of humor that it kept me engaged.

Tamra I‘m just going to have to break down and buy this book! (edited) 2y
ZaidShaikh Hmmm! This looks like an interesting read. Saving it. 2y
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Johanna414
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I spent most of the day yesterday cleaning so that I could be super lazy today. The kids are happily occupied with their own activities, so I‘m getting some #audiocrochet time in. I started this blanket last night for our daycare provider who is having some health issues lately

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perfectsinner
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Panpan

I think I had different expectations from this book than what I received. I thought it was just some retelling or their stories-- I hadn't quite realized that she did a master thesis in this genre and the work would be so full of technical details of the backstories, or reference so much historical artwork. Thus, I was bogged down through a lot of this book.

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perfectsinner
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Anyone else wanna stop constantly and Google the images of all the art pieces she speaks about for references?

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perfectsinner
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My two holds came in. Pandora's Jar & A Thousand Ships. Can't get enough mythology lately, I guess.
I tried to start this last night and I'm finding it a little more technical than I had thought it would be, but I'm hoping I'll still enjoy it.

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hissingpotatoes
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Pickpick

4/5⭐ A fascinating (if sometimes meandering) analysis of key women in Greek mythology. The book also explores the legacy of these stories through present day and how (mis)interpretations are often more misogynistic than the original context ever warranted. I liked when the author's sense of humor and personal perspectives came through. #bookspinbingo

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emmaturi
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed learning more about some of the women in Greek mythology and some women I didn't really know hardly anything about. I love her books and need to read her backlist.

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RamsFan1963
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96/150 If you love Greek Mythology, as I do, then I highly recommend this book to you. Haynes takes the classic females from Greek Mythology (Medusa, Helen, Medea, etc) and shows how different ancient writers told their stories. Sometimes they were the villains, sometimes the victims, sometimes even the heroines. One of my favorite reads for 2022. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

tokorowilliamwallace Cozy mystery writer, Kerry Greenwood has a Greek goddess mythology series, and one of the volumes is all about Medea. 2y
RamsFan1963 @tokorowilliamwallace Sounds interesting, I'll have to check it out. Thanks. 2y
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PuSsNbOoKs
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Pickpick

Just buy it and learn things that will blow your mind!

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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

In Pandora‘s Jar, Haynes examines our understanding of women in Greek mythology and how in reality these women have been marginalized and made less important to the stories over time. It is deeply researched and completely fascinating. I may need to go back to this someday (which is unusual for me) to pick some of the details up. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Itchyfeetreader Loved this book! 2y
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emmaturi
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I have been reading this all month, it's so fascinating hearing about different women in Greek mythology and how their lives turned out.

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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

Loved this. Now I‘m going to have to read more Euripides. I‘ve also been listening to the Hadestown soundtrack because Haynes mentions it in her chapter on Eurydice.

Tamra My hold just came in today! 👏🏾 2y
rabbitprincess @Tamra Yay! Enjoy 😊 2y
tokorowilliamwallace Yes! Euripides over Sophocles. 2y
rabbitprincess @tokorowilliamwallace I read Medea for a class in university and probably still have the book somewhere! 2y
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mdemanatee
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Started this audiobook while making dinner and loving it so far.

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KarenUK
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Pickpick

Smart, feminist, witty and accessible….I loved this exploration of the Women of the Greek myths. Each chapter focuses on a key female character from mythology (eg. Helen, Medusa, Jocasta), and discusses her portrayal through the ages, misrepresentation and misogyny, referencing not only the classic Greek texts, but modern interpretations, fine art and pop culture. So informative and fascinating, I couldn‘t put this down.

Cinfhen ♥️🙌🏻 2y
BarbaraBB Great! I enjoyed her other book too about women in Greek history 2y
See All 6 Comments
squirrelbrain I really enjoyed A Thousand Ships too @BarbaraBB 2y
Cortg I haven‘t seen this one around! I appreciate her for highlighting the women of Greek mythology 🙌🏼 2y
KarenUK @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Cortg I really liked A Thousand ships too. And this non-fiction take had similar vibe… 💕 2y
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BookBelle84
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Pickpick

This was a fascinating look at women in Greek mythology. It gave me a new appreciation for the myths and has made me think twice when it comes to my interpretation. It was enjoyable to listen to as the author narrated it herself.

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Bookish_Gal
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Pickpick

Very informative book about some of Greeks well know women. Whom were either villianized or left with one trait. I liked how the stories had many iterations from history being posed with serious questions. As well as describing surviving art. Most ladies were seen only as a wife, all other traits striped away. What if their stories held more? What if there was more to tier side of the story?
Loved Medusa story; I‘m partial to her story

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kera_11
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did Pandora really open a box full of all the bad things bc she was too curious or simply vindictive? or maybe it wasn‘t a box, maybe it was a jar that was top heavy and just fell off a table accidentally. also. who gave her a jar of bad things and how is this not their fault ???
a collection of essays on some of the most prominent women in Greek Mythology and whether they‘re a villain, victim, or monster, they‘re always a convenient scapegoat.

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Johanna414
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My sister-in-law and I both have birthdays this week, so my mom and grandma treated us to a girls day with shopping and lunch. Naturally, a bookstore was an essential part of the day! #bookhaul

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vivastory
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This was a brilliant excerpt on my favorite Greek tragedies-Aeschelyus' The Oresteian trilogy. I was unaware of Haynes book, scheduled for publication tomorrow, but ordered it based off of this. (Contains numerous spoilers) @batsy have you seen this?
https://lithub.com/is-clytemnestra-an-archetypically-bad-wife-or-a-heroically-av...

batsy No, I haven't! Thanks for sharing. 2y
BookmarkTavern What a fantastic post! Thank you for sharing! (edited) 2y
vivastory @ozma.of.oz I'm glad that you enjoyed it! I'm really looking forward to the book! 2y
Vansa Have you listened to her "Stand up for the classics" on BBc Radio? Absolutely hilarious and insightful. Here's the link, in case you haven't! https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03yn6xr 2y
vivastory @Vansa I'm not familiar with it. Thanks for the link! 2y
50 likes5 comments
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Oryx
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First outdoor reading of the year ☀️

Deblovestoread Sounds lovely! And I‘m looking forward to reading this book. Loved A Thousand Ships. 2y
squirrelbrain It‘s so nice in the sun isn‘t it?! 2y
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Dilara
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For #foodandlit #Greece, I think I am going to go with Women in the Greek Myths, as I'm a fan of the author's BBC podcasts Natalie Haynes Stands up for the Classics (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b077x8pc/episodes/player). I'll read something by a contemporary Greek author later on.

#foodandlit2022
@Butterfinger, @Texreader, @Catsandbooks

Texreader That‘s perfect!! 2y
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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

I already loved Natalie Haynes‘ novels but this was even more perfect. These essays on several famous women‘s roles in Greek myth is clearly written by a formidable expert, but also manages to be funny, thought provoking and sometimes very emotional. As much as what I learned from it, I loved the questions it made me ask about stories I thought I knew so well. Would recommend to anyone with any level of Greek knowledge

Tamra This has been on my TBR for quite awhile! I just haven‘t taken the plunge to buy it and I wouldn‘t want a library deadline with this kind of book. 2y
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Emilymdxn
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Little update on my #bookspinbingo board for January! I‘ve never managed a bingo or blackout before and I have a tendency to lose and abandon boards but now I have my beautiful 2022 journal with all my reading challenges in it I hope that won‘t happen! Current read tagged, I think I‘ve done pretty well this month so far! @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looking fabulous!!! 2y
sophies_little_library Looks great! I recommend Dangers of Smoking 2y
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Jadams89
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Pickpick

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this look at women in Greek myths and how their stories change depending on the writer/artist. I particularly loved the chapters on Pandora and Penelope. Haynes‘ witty commentary makes this a very enjoyable read. 5/5

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Itchyfeetreader
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Pickpick

#12booksin2021 I adored this. The power in this feminist retelling is that it doesn‘t rewrite history so much as change the focus of what we think we already know and so reframes. V powerful and briefly had me looking up classics courses! (The dog knocked over a pint of water in my cover - not impressed!)

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Mitch
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Mmmmmm… will 2022 be the year of the chunkster or of Greek Mythology????🧐🧐🧐🧐

tokorowilliamwallace Why not both? I only have one Greek myth retelling (Odysseus' son come searching for him) I found thrifting (and not sure if an old historical romance set in Egypt counts as quasi-Cleopatra vibes), but I do have a lot of Chunksters! I do need to finish the Roman retelling of all the Greek myths as to explain their own culture in Metamorphoses, though. The Peter Meineck lectures on classical mythology from The Modern Scholar are highly recommended. 2y
Mitch @tokorowilliamwallace there is just too many good books! 2y
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readingjedi
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Today's little treat, Pt 2.

Dilara Oooh I might have to get this book. I love Natalie Haynes‘s BBC Radio 4 podcasts about the Ancient world. 2y
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charl08
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...[as painted on the bowl owned by the museum, Medea] looks every inch a goddess as she flies stony faced through the air... In perhaps one of the greatest digital curatorial comments in any museum in the world, the Cleveland Museum of Art website used to list the description of the pot-"Here Medea flees the scene after murdering her children on a flying serpent pulled chariot' - under the heading. "Fun Fact." I salute this curator.

charl08 Not my cushion.... Sadly. 3y
TrishB I was about to say lovely cushion! 3y
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charl08

Translations and retellings-particularly of Greek myths for children tend to gloss over this uncomfortable fact...the problem with sanitizing these stories is that we develop a skewed perception. When we read that a satyr is attempting to carry off a nymph, to 'seize' a naiad, we are reading euphemisms.

To look at a specific and notorious example, Hades often 'abducts' Persephone....

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charl08

....women making a noise - whether speaking or shouting - tend to be viewed as intrinsically disruptive. Men are treated differently: the Greek hero Diomedes.... Like most Homeric heroes, he is usually described with one of several stock epithets. One of these phrases is 'boen agathos Diomedes - which is usually translated as 'Diomedes of the loud war cry', although literally it means 'Diomedes, good at shouting, which is somewhat less poetic.

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charl08

And then there is the daughter of Musaeus, a poet who wrote about the Trojan War in the eighth century BCE, before Homer.
This Helen owned a ....'a bilingual sheep." It's impossible to see how this Helen isn't the most famous woman in the ancient world, when one comes across a bilingual sheep so rarely

BookishMarginalia 😂😂😂 3y
charl08 @BookishMarginalia This book is great - so funny. 3y
BookishMarginalia 👍🏼 3y
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charl08
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Euripides was an astonishing writer of women....Which is all the more remarkable when we remember that the actors playing female roles in the Athenian theatres would have been young men.... It's not just that women in Euripides' plays have agency and make decisions which advance the plot (although they do), it's also that he writes them with a rare insight into areas which simply don't feature in men's lives in the same way.

TrishB My daughters just finished this and loved it. 3y
Tamra On my TBR! 3y
Bookwomble Medea is a fantastic play. 3y
charl08 @TrishB it's really engaging so far @Tamra look forward to hearing what you think. @Bookwomble I've never seen it! 3y
43 likes4 comments