Classical Mythology: Images and Insights: Fifth Edition. By STEPHEN L.
HARRIS and GLORIA PLATZNER, eds. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education,
2008. Pp. xx + 1132. Paper, $85.94. ISBN: 978–0–07–353567–8.
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Undergraduate instructors and senior high school teachers searching for a
compact anthology of Greek literature that offers resources for studying
classical myth need look no further. Although this paperback may seem
expensive, it is more economical than purchasing multiple books. Harris and
Platzner offer a comprehensive overview of both theory of myth and literary
selections. The fifth edition of the text includes some new features,
including a revision of the discussion of the “divine woman in myth,”
significant additions to the Aeneid text (including passages on Aeneas’
shield and the Pallas–Turnus duel), revised material on contemporary uses
of myth, and updated bibliographies.
Greek literature is represented by Hesiod’s Theogony and excerpts from
the Works and Days; the Homeric Hymns to Demeter, Hermes, Pythian Apollo
and Dionysus; excerpts from the Iliad and the Odyssey; Aeschylus’
Oresteia; Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and Antigone; and Euripides’ Medea and
Bacchae. Excerpts from Vergil’s Aeneid and Ovid’s Metamorphoses show
the Roman perspective. Throughout, the translations are readable and free
from modern anachronisms. Where the authors do not provide the originals
(in translation), they offer summaries and interpretive essays. There are
also helpful, though selective, guides to pronunciation of names.
The interpretive comments reflect contemporary scholarship without becoming
too theoretical or trendy. The authors show a balanced skepticism—a
difference from earlier versions of the book—towards the figure of the
“Great Goddess,” stating that “it is useful to consider her
attributes as a conceptual model, if not as a literal figure” (p. 147).
Each reading also contains study questions, which may strike some
instructors as too simplistic or uninspiring (“Why does Aeneas fall in
love with Dido? Later, why does he leave her? What part do the gods play in
both of those events?”, p. 975). Yet these questions should not be seen
as exhausting the possibilities for discussion, but as opening up a few of
many possible topics.
Any anthology, no matter how comprehensive, will fail to include some
important material, but in this case only a few omissions stand out.
Including Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis or The Trojan Women would have
offered insights into female perspectives on the Trojan War. Ovid’s
Metamorphoses is an indispensable source for authors of myth handbooks, but
does not conform to the authors’ view of how the Romans adapted Greek
myth. According to Harris and Platzner, the Romans “historicized the
myths, attaching them to real events and individuals in Roman history; they
politicized the myths, making them serve the needs of the Roman state; and
they reinterpreted the myths to reflect Roman ideas and values” (p. 882).
They might have conveyed these points more effectively by anthologizing
parts of Livy’s first book. One great advantage this book has over other
mythology textbooks, however, is that it pays extensive attention to
post-classical adaptations of myths through art and poetry. The authors
include only a small sample of this enormous body of material and list a
few other works in the bibliography. But these small glimpses are enough to
demonstrate to students that the classical myths still exercise an
influence over creative minds. The last poem in the book is titled
“Cassandra: Iraq.”
MARIANTHE COLAKIS
Townsend Harris High School
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