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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 September 2021
One of my favourite undergraduate classes to teach is Greek mythology. At American universities, Greek myth is a popular choice for satisfying humanities credit requirements, and professors are faced with a double dilemma. On the one hand, students have very different levels of knowledge, ranging from, say, a science major with virtually no idea about the ancient world to a know-it-all myth-whiz Classics major at the other end of the scale. The second problem is the choice and organization of material. Tough decisions have to be made, especially if a professor insists on students reading ancient Greek and Latin texts in translation, instead of relying on a modern retelling of myth. Which tragedies to choose? Which sections of Ovid's Metamorphoses? The whole of Homer or just select books? The challenges are real, but the rewards are great. After the initial struggle with Hesiod's Theogony (despite collective grumbling, Hesiod is non-negotiable for me), witnessing the magic of Greek myth at work never ceases to amaze me. In a blink of an eye, the class is passionately defending or attacking Phaedra, or debating fate and the gods; and, of course, everyone is united in hating Jason. It was my early fascination with Greek myth that attracted me to study Classics (the main culprit was the generously illustrated Serbian translation of Gustav Schwab's Gods and Heroes of Ancient Greece) and the crushing sense of responsibility for sparking that first interest in my students is only matched by joy upon seeing it work. I take mythology books very seriously because they are often the gateway to the Classics. Several books on myth landed on my desk this year and I'll start with three general introductions. None of these could serve as introductions to myth for children or young adults, but each could be an excellent first step for those wishing to know more about various scholarly approaches to Greek myths and cults.
1 The Gods of the Greeks. By Erika Simon. Translated by Jakob Zeyl, edited by Alan Shapiro, with a foreword by Fritz Graf. Wisconsin Studies in Classics. Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin Press, 2021. Pp. xxiv + 440. 312 b/w illustrations. Hardback $119.95, ISBN: 978-0-299-32940-2.
2 Greek Myth. By Lowell Edmunds. Trend in Classics – Key Perspectives on Classical Research 2. Berlin and Boston, MA, De Gruyter, 2021. Pp. vi + 213. Paperback £22.50, ISBN: 978-3-11-068233-5.
3 Classical Mythology. A Guide to the Mythical World of the Greeks and Romans. By William Hansen. Second edition. Oxford and New York, Oxford University Press, 2020. Pp. xi + 403. Paperback £12.99, ISBN: 978-0-19-750664-6. (The first edition was published by ABC-CLIO in 2004.)
4 The Werewolf in the Ancient World. By Daniel Ogden. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2021. Pp. xiv + 261. Hardback £25, ISBN: 978-0-19-885431-9.
5 War in Greek Mythology. By Paul Chrystal. Barnsley, Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2020. Pp. xii + 228. 50 b/w and colour illustrations. Hardback £25, ISBN: 978-1-52676-616-8.
6 Cyclops. The Myth and Its Cultural History. By Mercedes Aguirre and Richard Buxton. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020. Pp. xviii + 436. 94 b/w and colour illustrations. Hardback £35, ISBN: 978-0-19-871377-7.
7 Mapping the Afterlife. From Homer to Dante. By Emma Gee. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 2020. Pp. xiii + 365. Hardback £55, ISBN: 978-0-19-067048-1.
8 The Oxford Handbook of Latin Palaeography. Edited by Frank T. Coulson and Robert G. Babock. Oxford Handbooks. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020. Pp. vii + 1052. Hardback £125, ISBN: 978-0-19-533694-8.
9 The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology. Edited by Shaw, Ian and Bloxam, Elizabeth. Oxford Handbooks. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020CrossRefGoogle Scholar. Pp. xxviii + 1312. 134 b/w illustrations. Hardback £165, ISBN: 978-0-19-927187-0.
10 The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Biography. Edited by Koen De Temmerman. Oxford Handbooks. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020. Pp. xii + 800. Hardback £110, ISBN: 978-0-19-870301-3.
11 A Social and Economic History of the Theatre to 300 bc. Volume II. Theatre beyond Athens. Documents with Translation and Commentary. By Eric Csapo and Peter Wilson. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2020. Pp. xix + 939. Hardback £150, ISBN: 978-0-521-76557-2.
12 Religious Violence in the Ancient World. From Classical Athens to Late Antiquity. Edited by Jitse H. F. Dijkstra and Christian R. Raschle. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2020. Pp. xiv + 432. Hardback £90, ISBN: 978-1-108-49490-8.
13 Music and Metamorphosis in Graeco-Roman Thought. By Pauline A. LeVen. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2021. Pp. xii + 277. Hardback £75, ISBN: 978-1-107-14874-1.