Ancient Civilizations

All the wonder, terror and delight of Greek mythology springs forth from the pages of this unique and much-needed anthology. Rhonda Hendricks has not only selected from the works of the ancient authors the best -- and often earliest -- versions of these tales; she has also arranged them so as to give a cumulative view of classical mythology beginning with The Creation and The Birth of Zeus. Of particular interest are: The Ages of Mankind, The Birth of Athena, Oedipus the King, Heracles, Theseus, Jason and Medea, The Judgement of Paris, The Trojan Horse, Pygmalion, and Cupid and Psyche. These texts offer a new perspective on classical mythology and, by so doing, cast a new light on this cornerstone of Western culture.

From Zeus and Europa, to Diana, Pan, and Prometheus, the myths of ancient Greece and Rome seem to exert a timeless power over us. But what do those myths represent, and why are they so enduringly fascinating? Why do they seem to be such a potent way of talking about our selves, our origins, and our desires? This imaginative and stimulating Very Short Introduction goes beyond a simple retelling of the stories to explore the rich history and diverse interpretations of classical myths. It is a wide-ranging account, examining how classical myths are used and understood in both high art and popular culture, taking the reader from the temples of Crete to skyscrapers in New York, and finding classical myths in a variety of unexpected places: from arabic poetry and Hollywood films, to psychoanalysis, the bible, and New Age spiritualism.

"An exploration of timeless legends." First told centuries ago, the ancient myths of the Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate and influence the world today. The expanded edition of this popular guide examines why these legends remain an integral part of human history, citing their literary value, and their presence throughout popular culture in such works as J.K. Rowling s Harry Potter novels, and the Coen brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou'." Features a 50-page who s who glossary of classical mythological characters from both the Greek and Roman versions.

An introduction to the mythological world of the Greeks and the Romans, combined with a chronology of myths and a dictionary of key characters, objects, and events.

The Metamorphoses of Lucius Apuleius is the only complete Latin novel to have survived to this day. Lucius of Maudorus is insatiably curious about magic, but when he tries to magic himself into a bird, he transforms instead into a donkey. The story follows his literal and metaphorical journey, and was called by St Augustine the Golden Ass.

Back when lightning-throwing gods and multiheaded monsters ruled a world in constant chaos, there was one man who stood on four hooves against it all. He was Chiron the Centaur, the wise(-cracking) teacher to amateur heroes. He turned cowardly boys into powerful warriors, helped them achieve greatness, and overcome their Daddy issues--seriously, how many kids back then were waiting for Zeus to come by and play catch? Now, thousands of years later, Chiron's textbook has been unearthed. And it's your chance to join the ranks of Ancient Greece's finest. Be forewarned: It's no simple task. You have a lot to learn. Inside lies the necessary knowledge to start a quest as epic as one of the greats--from the inner workings of Mt. Olympus to the ins-and-outs of the Underworld to the Achilles' heel of each brutal beast you'll battle along the way. This handbook is as important as the sword in your hand and the shield on your back.

Voyages in Classical Mythology takes 44 great classical adventure tales of mythology and exploration and retells them in this beautifully written volume.

Who's Who in Classical Mythology is the most complete and detailed reference book of its kind. It offers scholarly, yet accessible accounts of those mythological tales surrounding such gods as Apollo, Zeus, Athena and Dionysus, and mortals such as Achilles, Odysseus, Jason, Aeneas, Romulus and Remus and Tarquin. It contains over 1200 extensive entries, covering both Greek and Roman characters, providing detailed biographical information, together with historical and geographical background. In addition there are comprehensive genealogical trees of important mythological families and a detailed list of all Greek and Latin writers referred to in the text.

The first and only comprehensive biographical dictionary devoted to mythological women.

Reformer of the church, biblical theologian, and German translator of the Bible Martin Luther had the highest respect for stories attributed to the ancient Greek author Aesop. He assigned them a status second only to the Bible and regarded them as wiser than "the harmful opinions of all the philosophers." Throughout his life, Luther told and retold Aesop¿s fables and strongly supported their continued use in Lutheran schools.
In this volume, Carl Springer builds on the textual foundation other scholars have laid and provides the first book in English to seriously consider Luther¿s fascination with Aesop¿s fables. He looks at which fables Luther knew, how he understood and used them, and why he valued them. Springer provides a variety of cultural contexts to help scholars and general readers gain a deeper understanding of Luther¿s appreciation of Aesop.

Against a recent tendency to exaggerate Shakespeare's classical learning, this study examines how the playwright used his relatively restricted knowledge to create an unusually convincing picture of Rome.

From Homer to Hollywood, the Western storytelling tradition has canonised a distinctive set of narrative values characterised by tight economy and closure. This book traces the formation of that classical paradigm in the development of ancient storytelling from Homer to Heliodorus. To tell this story, the book sets out to rehabilitate the idea of 'plot', notoriously disconnected from any recognized system of terminology in recent literary theory. The first part of the book draws on current developments in narratalogy and cognitive science to propose a new way of formally describing the way stories are structured and understood.
This model is then used to write a history of the emergence of the classical plot type in the four ancient genres that shaped it - Homeric epic, fifth-century tragedy, New Comedy, and the Greek novel - with new insights into the fundamental narrative poetics of each

Julian Hawthorne--son of Nathaniel Hawthorne--was a talented writer in his own right. "The Golden Fleece" is one of his finest--fresh, modern, and glorious despite its age.

In this groundbreaking work, Patrice D. Rankine asserts that the classics need not be a mark of Eurocentrism, as they have long been considered. Instead, the classical tradition can be part of a self-conscious, prideful approach to African American culture, esthetics, and identity. Ulysses in Black demonstrates that, similar to their white counterparts, African American authors have been students of classical languages, literature, and mythologies by such writers as Homer, Euripides, and Seneca. Ulysses in Black closely analyzes classical themes (the nature of love and its relationship to the social, Dionysus in myth as a parallel to the black protagonist in the American scene, misplaced Ulyssean manhood) as seen in the works of such African American writers as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, and Countee Cullen. Rankine finds that the merging of a black esthetic with the classics-contrary to expectations throughout American culture-has often been a radical addressing of concerns including violence against blacks, racism, and oppression. Ultimately, this unique study of black classicism becomes an exploration of America's broader cultural integrity, one that is inclusive and historic. Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Magazine

This is the first collection of critical essays devoted exclusively to Shakespeare's first published work, his long narrative poem Venus and Adonis which established his reputation as the literary darling of London and the heir of Ovid. Particularly important is the book's coverage of the little-known presence of Venus and Adonis on stage.A substantial introduction of 65 pagessurveys the history of criticism about the poem and its significance, and addresses such issues as the burdens of readership and the poem as a staged production. Following are 19 reprinted works from the 18th to late 20th centuries and seven original essays by leading scholars that examine the poem from a variety of theoretical and critical perspectives-Lacanian desire, semiotics and Elizabethan wardship, female readership, mythology, aesthetics and art history. An extensive chronological bibliography of scholarship, editions, and theatrical and literary reviews makes this volume indispensable.