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Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths
The Greek myths are one of the most important cultural foundation-stones of the modern world.
Stories of gods and monsters are the mainstay of epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Virgil to from Aeschylus to Sophocles and Euripides. 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 women’s stories.
Now, in Pandora’s Jar, Natalie Haynes – broadcaster, writer and passionate classicist – redresses this imbalance. Taking Greek creation myths as her starting point and then retelling the four great mythic sagas: the Trojan War, the Royal House of Thebes, Jason and the Argonauts, Heracles, she puts the female characters on equal footing with their menfolk. The result is a vivid and powerful account of the deeds – and misdeeds - of Hera, Aphrodite, Athene and Circe. And away from the goddesses of Mount Olympus it is Helen, Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Antigone and Medea who sing from these pages, not Paris, Agamemnon, Orestes or Jason.
Stories of gods and monsters are the mainstay of epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Virgil to from Aeschylus to Sophocles and Euripides. 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 women’s stories.
Now, in Pandora’s Jar, Natalie Haynes – broadcaster, writer and passionate classicist – redresses this imbalance. Taking Greek creation myths as her starting point and then retelling the four great mythic sagas: the Trojan War, the Royal House of Thebes, Jason and the Argonauts, Heracles, she puts the female characters on equal footing with their menfolk. The result is a vivid and powerful account of the deeds – and misdeeds - of Hera, Aphrodite, Athene and Circe. And away from the goddesses of Mount Olympus it is Helen, Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Antigone and Medea who sing from these pages, not Paris, Agamemnon, Orestes or Jason.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2020
About the author
Natalie Haynes
26 books5,322 followersNatalie Haynes, author of THE FURIES (THE AMBER FURY in the UK), is a graduate of Cambridge University and an award-winning comedian, journalist, and broadcaster. She judged the Man Booker Prize in 2013 and was a judge for the final Orange Prize in 2012. Natalie was a regular panelist on BBC2’s Newsnight Review, Radio 4’s Saturday Review, and the long-running arts show, Front Row. She is a guest columnist for the The Independent and The Guardian. Her radio series, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, was first broadcast in March 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,671 reviews
August 22, 2023
‘Every myth contains multiple timelines within itself: the time in which it is set, the time it is first told, and every retelling afterwards.’
Something I love best about myths and fairy tales are that they are not static but instead provide a sort of readymade cast of characters and plot that gets told and retold throughout history. In an era where new myth retellings are hitting New Release shelves on a near weekly basis, it was a pleasure to dive into Natalie Hayne’s Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths, in which the Haynes combines her vast knowledge of greek mythology and witty humor to step through key women figures in myths. This collection of essays in not a retelling, but instead a deep dive into the various interpretations of these figures that have existed through time in ‘ an attempt to fill in some of the black space’ and offer a more dynamic portrait of them. It is a fun and often very funny book, combining classic texts like Homer, Aeschylus, Euripides (and more) with later tellings such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and even pop-culture references and more recent retellings such as Clash of the Titans or the Hadestown musical. I suspect this is one that will be quite hit or miss with readers, though I found it to be very approachable and easy to wade through for someone with very little knowledge of the myths such as myself and I really enjoyed seeing all the different variations and thinking about what the contexts say about various aspects of motivation, villany, heroism and more. A pretty quick collection with as many laughs as there are insights, I am officially a big fan of Natalie Haynes.
‘Which version of a story we choose to tell, which characters we place in the foreground, which ones we allow to fade into the shadows: these reflect both the teller and the reader, as much as they show the characters of the myth.’
If we are looking at variations on myths, you should probably throw on this Anaïs Mitchell song. Besides, it comes up in the text. Pandora’s Jar is divided up into chapters each focusing on a different figure: Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, The Amazons, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea and Penelope. Though within each chapter many other figures share some of the focus, such as how Pasiphaë’s agency in her sexual encounter with the bull changes in variations on the tale. Haynes sets out ‘to show how differently they were viewed in the ancient world. How major female characters in Ovid would become non-existent Hollywood wives in twenty-first-cinema,’ how artists like sculptures or poets depicted them (I particularly love the passage on Carol Ann Duffy’s poem Eurydice where Orpheus is an unwanted stalker ‘who follows her round / writting poems’ until she admits ‘In fact girls, I’d rather be dead’ and Haynes points out nobody ever really asks Euridyce what she thinks of anything). For the most part, this book just shows how differently we can view a story through changes of framing or which characters are highlighted, though there is also an effort to give space to women that are often cast outside the spotlight.
In this way we also see how expressions of value can change based on how the story is told. A notable example is how in the versions that are toned down, such as those by Nathaniel Hawthorne in A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, tend to make the heroes less complex in ways that minimize the struggles or victimization of women. ‘These myths are full of violence,’ Haynes says, ‘and we should at least ask why it is the violence against women that is removed in order to make our heroes uncomplicated adventurers.’ Haynes herself does not shy away from the very violent and often vengeful acts of some of these women and discusses how removing unseemly aspects makes for flat characters and unrealistic portrayals.
I enjoy how this opens up the validity of looking at all the representations, not to find a ‘truer’ one, but to enjoy how complex and changing storytelling can be and how various figures can be used for various purposes. I like to say that myths and fairy tales are not corporate IP so play with them all you want, just do it well. ‘The version of a story we find in Iliad or the Odyssey is not somehow more valid than a version we find in a fifth-century BCE play or on the side of a vase merely because it is older.’ And I think that is cool, just enjoy the myths how you do and let people enjoy them how they do.
It was a delight reading this after having read Haynes’ Medusa retelling, Stone Blind, and seeing how that chapter felt like collecting all the notes and key statements that were made later in the novel. Her story is another good example of how the symbolism of myths can change dramatically, such as how Medusa became a symbol for the #MeToo movement.
Haynes briefly talks about the Luciano Garbati statue of Medusa holding Perseus’ head (left) created as a response to the Benvenuto Cellini’s classic statue (right) as an example of shifting imagery (though it should be noted that many feminist activists criticized the statue and the choice of displaying the art of a man as a statement against sexual assault). There is some great discourse as well on the idea of Penelope as the “good” wife and Clytemnestra as the “bad” wife (and how different tales change her proximity to the slaying of Agamemnon and her motivations for doing so), and as I can’t resist a good Beyoncé reference I enjoyed her take on Clytemnestra in context of Beyoncé's Lemonade. There’s Star Trek in here too. It’s just fun.
‘When women take up space, there is less available for men. But it means we get a whole story instead of half of one. It scarcely needs saying that our understanding of the story of Oedipus is enriched when we know the story of Jocasta, and vice versa.’
To counter my opening statement about myths changing, Haynes adds ‘There’s comfort in stories which don’t change, even the sad ones.’ I think thats why people can often feel very particular about a favorite version of a story. In his book Retelling Stories, Framing Culture: Traditional Story and Metanarratives in Children's Literature, John Stephens writes ‘ ‘a tendency…to privilege similarity over difference’ when it comes to retellings, but Haynes makes a good case to see differences as a chance to think deeper about these figures. I enjoyed that she frames this book around the story of Pandora and the jar and the variations on what might have entered the world. Here we see all the different tales that have entered the world and this was an exciting, humorous and very accessible way to look at the implications behind them all as a method of better appreciating the women in Greek Myths.
3.5/5
Something I love best about myths and fairy tales are that they are not static but instead provide a sort of readymade cast of characters and plot that gets told and retold throughout history. In an era where new myth retellings are hitting New Release shelves on a near weekly basis, it was a pleasure to dive into Natalie Hayne’s Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths, in which the Haynes combines her vast knowledge of greek mythology and witty humor to step through key women figures in myths. This collection of essays in not a retelling, but instead a deep dive into the various interpretations of these figures that have existed through time in ‘ an attempt to fill in some of the black space’ and offer a more dynamic portrait of them. It is a fun and often very funny book, combining classic texts like Homer, Aeschylus, Euripides (and more) with later tellings such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and even pop-culture references and more recent retellings such as Clash of the Titans or the Hadestown musical. I suspect this is one that will be quite hit or miss with readers, though I found it to be very approachable and easy to wade through for someone with very little knowledge of the myths such as myself and I really enjoyed seeing all the different variations and thinking about what the contexts say about various aspects of motivation, villany, heroism and more. A pretty quick collection with as many laughs as there are insights, I am officially a big fan of Natalie Haynes.
‘Which version of a story we choose to tell, which characters we place in the foreground, which ones we allow to fade into the shadows: these reflect both the teller and the reader, as much as they show the characters of the myth.’
If we are looking at variations on myths, you should probably throw on this Anaïs Mitchell song. Besides, it comes up in the text. Pandora’s Jar is divided up into chapters each focusing on a different figure: Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, The Amazons, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea and Penelope. Though within each chapter many other figures share some of the focus, such as how Pasiphaë’s agency in her sexual encounter with the bull changes in variations on the tale. Haynes sets out ‘to show how differently they were viewed in the ancient world. How major female characters in Ovid would become non-existent Hollywood wives in twenty-first-cinema,’ how artists like sculptures or poets depicted them (I particularly love the passage on Carol Ann Duffy’s poem Eurydice where Orpheus is an unwanted stalker ‘who follows her round / writting poems’ until she admits ‘In fact girls, I’d rather be dead’ and Haynes points out nobody ever really asks Euridyce what she thinks of anything). For the most part, this book just shows how differently we can view a story through changes of framing or which characters are highlighted, though there is also an effort to give space to women that are often cast outside the spotlight.
In this way we also see how expressions of value can change based on how the story is told. A notable example is how in the versions that are toned down, such as those by Nathaniel Hawthorne in A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, tend to make the heroes less complex in ways that minimize the struggles or victimization of women. ‘These myths are full of violence,’ Haynes says, ‘and we should at least ask why it is the violence against women that is removed in order to make our heroes uncomplicated adventurers.’ Haynes herself does not shy away from the very violent and often vengeful acts of some of these women and discusses how removing unseemly aspects makes for flat characters and unrealistic portrayals.
‘We do not live in a world of heroes and villains, and if we believe we do, we should really consider the possibility that we haven’t thought about things properly. We cannot hope to make sense of our stories or ourselves (myths are a mirror of us, after all) if we refuse to look at half of the picture. Or--worse--don’t even notice half of it is missing.’
I enjoy how this opens up the validity of looking at all the representations, not to find a ‘truer’ one, but to enjoy how complex and changing storytelling can be and how various figures can be used for various purposes. I like to say that myths and fairy tales are not corporate IP so play with them all you want, just do it well. ‘The version of a story we find in Iliad or the Odyssey is not somehow more valid than a version we find in a fifth-century BCE play or on the side of a vase merely because it is older.’ And I think that is cool, just enjoy the myths how you do and let people enjoy them how they do.
It was a delight reading this after having read Haynes’ Medusa retelling, Stone Blind, and seeing how that chapter felt like collecting all the notes and key statements that were made later in the novel. Her story is another good example of how the symbolism of myths can change dramatically, such as how Medusa became a symbol for the #MeToo movement.
Haynes briefly talks about the Luciano Garbati statue of Medusa holding Perseus’ head (left) created as a response to the Benvenuto Cellini’s classic statue (right) as an example of shifting imagery (though it should be noted that many feminist activists criticized the statue and the choice of displaying the art of a man as a statement against sexual assault). There is some great discourse as well on the idea of Penelope as the “good” wife and Clytemnestra as the “bad” wife (and how different tales change her proximity to the slaying of Agamemnon and her motivations for doing so), and as I can’t resist a good Beyoncé reference I enjoyed her take on Clytemnestra in context of Beyoncé's Lemonade. There’s Star Trek in here too. It’s just fun.
‘When women take up space, there is less available for men. But it means we get a whole story instead of half of one. It scarcely needs saying that our understanding of the story of Oedipus is enriched when we know the story of Jocasta, and vice versa.’
To counter my opening statement about myths changing, Haynes adds ‘There’s comfort in stories which don’t change, even the sad ones.’ I think thats why people can often feel very particular about a favorite version of a story. In his book Retelling Stories, Framing Culture: Traditional Story and Metanarratives in Children's Literature, John Stephens writes ‘ ‘a tendency…to privilege similarity over difference’ when it comes to retellings, but Haynes makes a good case to see differences as a chance to think deeper about these figures. I enjoyed that she frames this book around the story of Pandora and the jar and the variations on what might have entered the world. Here we see all the different tales that have entered the world and this was an exciting, humorous and very accessible way to look at the implications behind them all as a method of better appreciating the women in Greek Myths.
3.5/5
August 9, 2020
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
A wonderful feminist discussion into various women at the heart of the Greek myths. These are women who are often overshadowed by the male heroes of their own stories, yet Haynes manages to bring them to life and give them a voice that has long been forgotten. These are women who originally are described as intelligent warriors, fearless and resourceful, and ultimately let down by their husbands, lovers and the Gods. Their stories have been warped over time to diminish them, force them into the background and cast them as villains and monsters. It was incredibly refreshing to see them in a new, more positive light. Haynes's writing is also incredibly accessible and humorous at times too, making the myths and information she pulls from easy to follow and understand. I personally don't think you need to have a deep understanding of these myths going into the book, although it's obviously beneficial.
I am really enjoying this resurgence of the Greek myths told from a woman's perspective (such as Haynes novel A Thousand Ships and Miller's Circe) and I'm now desperate for a Medusa or Medea retelling. As part of this review, I've included a few words and thoughts on each woman's story. If you don't want to know which Greek heroines are found within Haynes book, don't read on.
Pandora - Because obviously all bad things in the world are the fault of women (see also: Eve).
Jocasta - with the least amount of info, she still manages to figure out Oedipus is her son before he does. And pays the highest price for it.
Helen - beautiful face. Obviously men decided the Trojan war was her fault. Surprisingly intelligent, and could easily spar with Odysseus. Pretty sure she picked Menelaus because he's so stupid.
Medusa - perhaps the ultimate misunderstood and badly represented of the Greek women. Demonstrates the sexualised fear and misogynistic objectification of strong females in the myths. Myths retold by angry white men.
Amazons - the ultimate woman tribe. Women supporting women, bolstering each other up. It's interesting to see the differences between the original texts and how they've been perverted over time (again, by fragile white men) and the parallels with modern day counterparts like Wonder Woman and Buffy.
Clytemnestra - Agamemnon's wife. Iphegenia's mother. Clever and cunning, she bows to no man in her quest for revenge. Again, she's the image every man fears - a dominant, intelligent woman who can think for herself.
Eurydice - Orpheus's shadow. Lover. Muse. Has a history steeped in sacrifice that had been warped to instead reflect Orpheus's tale. Eurydice has instead been stripped of her voice and desires. Is it Orpheus's selfishness rather than love that pulls her from peace in the Underworld? Because no-one asks Eurydice for her opinion.
Phaedra - with Phaedra's story we enter into the discussion of sexual violence against women, and the removal of said violence in later texts to keep the shine on the male Greek heroes. Theseus is not a nice man. He's a serial rapist who seems to delight in making his way through women. Yet it's Phaedra who is vilified and remembered for her instigation of rape myth and false allegations. No less serious, but we seem to conveniently forget or romanticise the rape of women.
Medea - Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. All consuming in her power, passion and need for revenge, Medea is one hell of a woman. With the talent to beguile, she is woefully underestimated by every man she crosses and her pursuit of vengeance knows no bounds. I mean, this is the woman who cuts up her little brother to stop her father pursuing her lover, Jason. The woman has no boundaries.
Penelope - the Greek wife of Odysseus who is forever put on the pedestal as the perfect wife. Patiently and faithfully waiting 20 years for her husband to return, while using her wits to keep suitors at bay. She's often seen as the woman to pit against every other woman to be found lacking. Yet through the years she's been whittled down to a fraction of who she is. Where has the intelligent woman who ruled alone while raising a child gone?
To reiterate: a great feminist look at several important and colourful women throughout the Greek myths. I also appreciated the many, many Clash of the Titans references. My childhood heart swelled with nostalgia at the mention of Bubo the owl. Highly recommend for lovers of the classic myths.
A wonderful feminist discussion into various women at the heart of the Greek myths. These are women who are often overshadowed by the male heroes of their own stories, yet Haynes manages to bring them to life and give them a voice that has long been forgotten. These are women who originally are described as intelligent warriors, fearless and resourceful, and ultimately let down by their husbands, lovers and the Gods. Their stories have been warped over time to diminish them, force them into the background and cast them as villains and monsters. It was incredibly refreshing to see them in a new, more positive light. Haynes's writing is also incredibly accessible and humorous at times too, making the myths and information she pulls from easy to follow and understand. I personally don't think you need to have a deep understanding of these myths going into the book, although it's obviously beneficial.
I am really enjoying this resurgence of the Greek myths told from a woman's perspective (such as Haynes novel A Thousand Ships and Miller's Circe) and I'm now desperate for a Medusa or Medea retelling. As part of this review, I've included a few words and thoughts on each woman's story. If you don't want to know which Greek heroines are found within Haynes book, don't read on.
Pandora - Because obviously all bad things in the world are the fault of women (see also: Eve).
Jocasta - with the least amount of info, she still manages to figure out Oedipus is her son before he does. And pays the highest price for it.
Helen - beautiful face. Obviously men decided the Trojan war was her fault. Surprisingly intelligent, and could easily spar with Odysseus. Pretty sure she picked Menelaus because he's so stupid.
Medusa - perhaps the ultimate misunderstood and badly represented of the Greek women. Demonstrates the sexualised fear and misogynistic objectification of strong females in the myths. Myths retold by angry white men.
Amazons - the ultimate woman tribe. Women supporting women, bolstering each other up. It's interesting to see the differences between the original texts and how they've been perverted over time (again, by fragile white men) and the parallels with modern day counterparts like Wonder Woman and Buffy.
Clytemnestra - Agamemnon's wife. Iphegenia's mother. Clever and cunning, she bows to no man in her quest for revenge. Again, she's the image every man fears - a dominant, intelligent woman who can think for herself.
Eurydice - Orpheus's shadow. Lover. Muse. Has a history steeped in sacrifice that had been warped to instead reflect Orpheus's tale. Eurydice has instead been stripped of her voice and desires. Is it Orpheus's selfishness rather than love that pulls her from peace in the Underworld? Because no-one asks Eurydice for her opinion.
Phaedra - with Phaedra's story we enter into the discussion of sexual violence against women, and the removal of said violence in later texts to keep the shine on the male Greek heroes. Theseus is not a nice man. He's a serial rapist who seems to delight in making his way through women. Yet it's Phaedra who is vilified and remembered for her instigation of rape myth and false allegations. No less serious, but we seem to conveniently forget or romanticise the rape of women.
Medea - Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. All consuming in her power, passion and need for revenge, Medea is one hell of a woman. With the talent to beguile, she is woefully underestimated by every man she crosses and her pursuit of vengeance knows no bounds. I mean, this is the woman who cuts up her little brother to stop her father pursuing her lover, Jason. The woman has no boundaries.
Penelope - the Greek wife of Odysseus who is forever put on the pedestal as the perfect wife. Patiently and faithfully waiting 20 years for her husband to return, while using her wits to keep suitors at bay. She's often seen as the woman to pit against every other woman to be found lacking. Yet through the years she's been whittled down to a fraction of who she is. Where has the intelligent woman who ruled alone while raising a child gone?
To reiterate: a great feminist look at several important and colourful women throughout the Greek myths. I also appreciated the many, many Clash of the Titans references. My childhood heart swelled with nostalgia at the mention of Bubo the owl. Highly recommend for lovers of the classic myths.
March 31, 2022
This is such a smart and fascinating explanation and retelling by scholar Natalie Haynes. She is also a comic, and you can feel her sense of humor in this highly readable nonfiction text tackling multiple myths; the humor makes it truly stand out.
I took Classics in college, and I absolutely loved it. I can only imagine, if I’d had access to a text like this along with an illuminating discussion, how much it would have added to my experience. I hope that Classics’ professors today are employing nonfiction works by Haynes and other scholars to round out the stories with different viewpoints.
Overall, I enjoyed this in-depth nonfiction narrative and hope Natalie Haynes has more mythology to re-dress (readdress? Retell!) with us. I can’t wait to read A Thousand Ships, which I have on my shelf; a story about the women of the Trojan War.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
I took Classics in college, and I absolutely loved it. I can only imagine, if I’d had access to a text like this along with an illuminating discussion, how much it would have added to my experience. I hope that Classics’ professors today are employing nonfiction works by Haynes and other scholars to round out the stories with different viewpoints.
Overall, I enjoyed this in-depth nonfiction narrative and hope Natalie Haynes has more mythology to re-dress (readdress? Retell!) with us. I can’t wait to read A Thousand Ships, which I have on my shelf; a story about the women of the Trojan War.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
August 18, 2023
My rating: 4.5⭐️
Having read and loved A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes I was eagerly looking forward to reading Pandora’s Jar : Women in the Greek Myths and I was not disappointed!
The author describes Greek myths as “protean” stating that they operate in different timelines- the one in which they are set and the timelines of the subsequent versions and retellings. Each chapter in this book is devoted to a female character from the Greek myths and the author draws from multiple sources to discuss how these characters have been presented, represented and interpreted over the years. Chapters are dedicated to Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, The Amazons, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea and Penelope. Popular opinion and numerous translators and interpreters have defined these women and their roles in the myths -whether regarded as famous or infamous, labeled and judged as good (Penelope) or bad (Clytemnestra) and in many cases, held responsible for events that had more powerful forces at play (Medusa, Pandora, Helen) or marginalized and relegated to the background in the role of mother or wife (Jocasta), all the while waxing eloquent about the heroic exploits of their male counterparts. But as Haynes explains it, these women are so much more than a unidimensional presence in those stories, the narrative perspectives of which may differ depending upon the writer, narrator or translator. The author provides a broad overview of how these characters have been depicted in not only literature but art, theatre, music and film and the ensuing discussion of how and why these depictions and interpretations vary makes for an absorbing read.
Haynes references the works of Hesiod, Homer, Ovid, Euripides, Aeschylus, Sophocles and other sources while also eloquently describing some surviving antiquarian artifacts and relatively newer artwork (paintings, sculptures etc) depicting the characters and scenes from the various versions of the Greek myths. The child friendly versions of the myths as presented by Nathaniel Hawthorne or Roger Lancelyn Green are also discussed in the context of how authors choose to whitewash the not-so-heroic exploits of popular heroes in order to emphasize the virtues of said character. I also enjoyed the more contemporary references interspersed in the discussions ranging from cinematic renderings such as Clash of the Titans and the more recent Wonder Woman franchise to how the myths have influenced select works of Dame Agatha Christie as well as characters and episodes from Star Trek or Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even Beyonce.
It should be noted that Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths is not a retelling or reimagining of the myths in the strictest terms but an insightful exploration into the different versions of the characters that have been presented through the ages. Smart, witty, engaging and brilliantly researched, Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes is a joy to read for fans of Greek mythology and especially those with an interest in learning more about the women in the myths. I loved the details of the art and artifacts described in each of the chapters and wished that there could have been more pictures embedded with the text. I found myself looking these up on the internet and that truly enriched my reading experience. Not only does Natalie Haynes explore how and why these women and their stories have been defined the way they have but in doing so also motivates you to question your own observations understanding of the women (and the men) in the Greek myths. While I enjoyed all the chapters in the book, I have to mention that those devoted to Pandora, Medusa and The Amazons were my favorites.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for providing a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 11, 2021
Classicist Natalie Haynes has penned this extraordinarily interesting non-fiction in the hope of addressing some of the prejudice and inaccuracies forced upon some of mythology's female figures. These women are often relegated to the side-lines of the story, and when they are granted an extended focus it is for their role as either the mother, the sinner, or the monster. Sometimes all three at once. But was this always the case and, if so, just why are women depicted as behaving in such a narrow spectrum?
This was such an incredible feminist insight to some of mythology's most infamous females. Ten mythological figures were each granted their own chapter in which to explore their character creation, the variations that abounded in different texts, and their modern-day relevance. It remained light and witty in tone and yet provided an abundance of information on each figure and the stories they stemmed from.
Time spent inside these pages flew just as quickly as it does when I am immersed in fiction, so compelling was Haynes' focus and narrative style. This was a flawless creation and it is my ardent wish that this volume will become just one instalment in a series of similar creations. I still have much to learn about mythology and I want only this author to illuminate the past for me.
This was such an incredible feminist insight to some of mythology's most infamous females. Ten mythological figures were each granted their own chapter in which to explore their character creation, the variations that abounded in different texts, and their modern-day relevance. It remained light and witty in tone and yet provided an abundance of information on each figure and the stories they stemmed from.
Time spent inside these pages flew just as quickly as it does when I am immersed in fiction, so compelling was Haynes' focus and narrative style. This was a flawless creation and it is my ardent wish that this volume will become just one instalment in a series of similar creations. I still have much to learn about mythology and I want only this author to illuminate the past for me.
September 16, 2020
Anyone who has read A Thousand Ships, shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction this year, will know that Natalie Haynes is deeply interested in giving voice to the women of Greek myth. But what some might not know is that she's also an incredible classicist and a comedian. Now, these two things go together better than you might imagine. If you follow her Instagram or listen to her podcast 'Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics' (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b077...), you will already know this. If you haven't checked these out and you have even the slightest interest in the classics, definitely do so. You've got a real treat waiting for you. Her recent videos on the Ovid's Heroides, which happen to be my favourite Latin poems, were fascinating and funny. It brings me joy to see them brought to a wider audience with such skill and enthusiasm. Natalie Haynes is truly one of the best advocates for what classics can be, a subject for all.
This book is a perfect example. The image we have of these women is often quite different from the earlier versions, transformed by time and misogyny. Myths are by their very nature changeable, but for some reason the women get a bad rap. What this book offers is a peek behind the curtain, a witty analysis of the ways in which representations of these mythic women have been altered, misused, misunderstood. Not only is it well-researched and engaging, it's laugh out loud funny in parts. The section on Leda is magnificent. If anything in this review should convince you to buy this book, then let it be your excitement about how woman/swan sex is explained. You won't regret it. I highlighted approximately half the book. And I loved everything about it.
ARC via Netgalley
This book is a perfect example. The image we have of these women is often quite different from the earlier versions, transformed by time and misogyny. Myths are by their very nature changeable, but for some reason the women get a bad rap. What this book offers is a peek behind the curtain, a witty analysis of the ways in which representations of these mythic women have been altered, misused, misunderstood. Not only is it well-researched and engaging, it's laugh out loud funny in parts. The section on Leda is magnificent. If anything in this review should convince you to buy this book, then let it be your excitement about how woman/swan sex is explained. You won't regret it. I highlighted approximately half the book. And I loved everything about it.
ARC via Netgalley
April 17, 2021
Classicist and stand-up comedian, Natalie Haynes, delves into Greek Myth- particularly the women of Greek myth and I know I just had to read this book.
This book explores 10 female myths, from their origins and variations, as well as how their roles have changed over the years and modern day interpretations. It was also great to see what artefacts remains depicting these women; whose stories are lost to us (from writing), bringing to question how these women were depicted/talked about during Ancient Greek times. It’s interesting to see how their roles have been morphed often to only being relegated to a sideline character, compared to the main male hero (think Medea in the movie Jason and the Argonauts).
I had some favourites especially! I loved the chapter on Medusa and the Gorgons (I also love the artefacts of the gorgons with their huge tusks, etc). I loved the chapter on Eurydice (and Alcestis) and their time in the underworld, often these are not the more “famous” women of Greek myth, so it was great to see someone explore them.
While I enjoyed both the sections on The Amazon’s and Medea, I found these sections delved/dragged on when comparing to modern day examples (eg I found the Amazon section had too much exploration of Buffy).
I also a appreciate a good Theseus and Jason bashing, and Natalie Haynes does this fantastically (they are the WORST). She also sings praises of Euripides, a play write who wrote many plays focusing on the women from Greek myth (there are probably more but these are lost to us). Medea is particularly a favourite of mine by him.
Throughout this book Natalie Haynes infused her own wit and sarcasm throughout this book which I really enjoyed.
I love her Podcast (show?) of “Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics”- it’s brilliant and funny and suffused with wit, it’s almost as if I could hear her voice in my head when reading this book as I just love her show.
This book explores 10 female myths, from their origins and variations, as well as how their roles have changed over the years and modern day interpretations. It was also great to see what artefacts remains depicting these women; whose stories are lost to us (from writing), bringing to question how these women were depicted/talked about during Ancient Greek times. It’s interesting to see how their roles have been morphed often to only being relegated to a sideline character, compared to the main male hero (think Medea in the movie Jason and the Argonauts).
I had some favourites especially! I loved the chapter on Medusa and the Gorgons (I also love the artefacts of the gorgons with their huge tusks, etc). I loved the chapter on Eurydice (and Alcestis) and their time in the underworld, often these are not the more “famous” women of Greek myth, so it was great to see someone explore them.
While I enjoyed both the sections on The Amazon’s and Medea, I found these sections delved/dragged on when comparing to modern day examples (eg I found the Amazon section had too much exploration of Buffy).
I also a appreciate a good Theseus and Jason bashing, and Natalie Haynes does this fantastically (they are the WORST). She also sings praises of Euripides, a play write who wrote many plays focusing on the women from Greek myth (there are probably more but these are lost to us). Medea is particularly a favourite of mine by him.
Throughout this book Natalie Haynes infused her own wit and sarcasm throughout this book which I really enjoyed.
I love her Podcast (show?) of “Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics”- it’s brilliant and funny and suffused with wit, it’s almost as if I could hear her voice in my head when reading this book as I just love her show.
June 25, 2022
Probably not the right shelf. I'll ponder this.
Well, I've pondered & decided this book is a literary criticism. Ms Haynes takes us on a journey through the myths of Ancient Greeks, giving the feminine point of view & attempting a rescue of some much maligned reputations. She also shows us how often the (male) classical writers managed to show the female actions in the most unfavorable light.
This dedication sets Ms Haynes tone;
Another quote about my favourite - Medea;
I do love me some Pre-Raphaelite art.
The book manages to be both deep and light and witty - quite a good trick!
I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't re-read this book before the end of this year, I loved it so much!
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
Well, I've pondered & decided this book is a literary criticism. Ms Haynes takes us on a journey through the myths of Ancient Greeks, giving the feminine point of view & attempting a rescue of some much maligned reputations. She also shows us how often the (male) classical writers managed to show the female actions in the most unfavorable light.
This dedication sets Ms Haynes tone;
For my mum, who has always thought that a woman with an axe was more interesting than a princess
Another quote about my favourite - Medea;
As we saw with Clytemnestra, there were few things more alarming to ancient Greek men than the machinations of a clever woman, and Medea is the cleverest of them all.
I do love me some Pre-Raphaelite art.
The book manages to be both deep and light and witty - quite a good trick!
I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't re-read this book before the end of this year, I loved it so much!
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
April 19, 2024
This time Natalie Haynes tells us about 10 women whose stories have been told and retold: Medusa wasn’t always a monster, Helen of Troy wasn’t always an adulterer, and Pandora wasn’t ever a villain. Even characters that were outright villainous – Medea, Clytemnestra, Phaedra – were often far more nuanced than they first appeared.
Even though this book was published before Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth, I read it after. There's no need to read them in order and I found both books to be great reads of nonfiction retelling of myths. I strongly suggest starting with a background knowledge of Greek mythology before diving into these two books. They are not the best where to start.
We have made space in our storytelling to rediscover women who have been lost or forgotten. They are not villains, victims, wives and monsters: they are people.
*****
Pandora
Let's see what I found, I always wondered why there was hope in Pandora's jar! I mean, the plan was to fuck all of us right?! why HOPE then?!
Hope is intrinsically positive in English, but in Greek (and the same with the Latin equivalent, spes) it is not. Since it really means the anticipation of something good or bad, a more accurate translation would probably be ‘expectation’.
Jocasta
The next one I always wondered about...
If you know there is a prophecy that you will kill your father and bed your mother, then suddenly understand you were adopted, so what is the best thing to do?
I think the best thing to do is set your ass where it is and not shit around to find your real parents, and avoid killing any men of an age to be your father and it might be a good idea to also avoid marrying any women who could conceivably be your mother, right?!
Well, apparently Oedipus didn't think so...
Helen of Troy, Helen of Sparta, Helen of joy, Helen of slaughter
Stesichorus was that he lost his sight after writing ungenerously about Helen of Troy. His vision was only restored when he composed a more generous account of her. Let that be a lesson to us all.
Even as a child, Helen apparently caused a war. But most of us would feel that this was an unfair characterization of the events described above. Surely we would all stop short of blaming a child for her own abduction?
So what of the second war fought over Helen? The Trojan War is a blaming spot for Helen or not?!
Medusa
It must be incredibly isolating. Medusa cannot look at a friend, a person, even an animal without killing them. This perhaps explains why she lives in a cave…
Perseus is still afraid of her, even after he has beheaded her and trodden her down. If you’re looking for a better metaphor for virulent misogyny, I’m afraid I don’t have one.
Amazons
And when Amazons fight, they fight to the death. Be thankful they just want equality, and not payback.
women are stronger together than apart, even ones with superpowers.
Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra is the ultimate bad wife, in the same way that Medea is the ultimate bad mother. Clytemnestra was the woman men feared coming home to.
Yes, Clytemnestra is my favorite mortal, devastatingly clever and cunning and in many perspectives a villain, but why?
She is the mother of a daughter who has been slaughtered like an animal. Is it any wonder she nurses an unquenchable rage against the man who committed such a crime? Would we not think less of her if she had simply forgiven Agamemnon and moved on?
*****
Make no mistake, this woman is offering to fight a whole crowd of men if she has to:
"He’s the one you should have banished, she says. He’s the one who killed his own daughter, as though she were nothing more than a sacrificial animal. And what did you do about that? Nothing. I tell you what, if you can overthrow me, you can rule this place. If the gods decide differently, you’ll learn to live with it."
*****
So Clytemnestra is a byword in the ancient world, and ever since, for a bad wife, the worst wife even. But for wronged, silenced, unvalued daughters, she is something of a hero: a woman who refuses to be quiet when her child is killed, who disdains to accept things and move on, who will not make the best of what she has.
Eurydice
Again I wonder, no one ever asks mostly silent Eurydice what she might like, why should Eurydice feel the same way about Orpheus that he feels about her?
"Eurydice is desperately trying to make Orpheus look back, so she can return to the Underworld in peace. After multiple attempts, she finally lights upon the solution. She touches his neck and tells him she wants to hear his poem again. Unable to resist this appeal to his ego, Orpheus turns around and Eurydice ‘waved once and was gone’. She finally gets the peace she craves away from the man who bores her with his arrogance and his popular reputation. Eurydice knows the man behind the genius and she would, it turns out, prefer to be dead."
Phaedra
Who is Phaedra? villain or victim?
Phaedra, the wicked stepmother who defends her young and destroys all threats to their future, even at the cost of her own life.
Medea
If Clytemnestra is the worst wife in Greek myth, Medea can lay a strong claim to being its worst mother.
As we saw with Clytemnestra, there were few things more alarming to ancient Greek men than the machinations of a clever woman, and Medea is the cleverest of them all, she is already a dangerous figure: clever, female, foreign and magical.
Penelope
Penelope has been presented as a perfect wife for as long as her story has been told at all. And yet, her wifely qualities are what, precisely?
Don't make me wrong, Penelope is my favorite in good character, a woman who could stand beside Helen and not be found wanting, at least in the male gaze, BUT Penelope and Odysseus technically did not spend any time together...
"If we were considering the characteristics we might look for in a long-term partner, we would probably think of compatibility – emotional, psychological and sexual – as being pretty key."
From another point of view, we have Odysseus, he could be known as a perfect husband, right? Yes, 20 years away, a year with Circe, and seven with Calypso. But he rejects immortality to come back to his less beautiful and mortal wife.
"And here is Odysseus, offered eternal life but rejecting it. And all for the chance to return to a woman he has not seen for twenty years. A divorce lawyer might not call this fidelity, but it is something."
Even though this book was published before Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth, I read it after. There's no need to read them in order and I found both books to be great reads of nonfiction retelling of myths. I strongly suggest starting with a background knowledge of Greek mythology before diving into these two books. They are not the best where to start.
We have made space in our storytelling to rediscover women who have been lost or forgotten. They are not villains, victims, wives and monsters: they are people.
*****
Pandora
Let's see what I found, I always wondered why there was hope in Pandora's jar! I mean, the plan was to fuck all of us right?! why HOPE then?!
Hope is intrinsically positive in English, but in Greek (and the same with the Latin equivalent, spes) it is not. Since it really means the anticipation of something good or bad, a more accurate translation would probably be ‘expectation’.
Jocasta
The next one I always wondered about...
If you know there is a prophecy that you will kill your father and bed your mother, then suddenly understand you were adopted, so what is the best thing to do?
I think the best thing to do is set your ass where it is and not shit around to find your real parents, and avoid killing any men of an age to be your father and it might be a good idea to also avoid marrying any women who could conceivably be your mother, right?!
Well, apparently Oedipus didn't think so...
Helen of Troy, Helen of Sparta, Helen of joy, Helen of slaughter
Stesichorus was that he lost his sight after writing ungenerously about Helen of Troy. His vision was only restored when he composed a more generous account of her. Let that be a lesson to us all.
Even as a child, Helen apparently caused a war. But most of us would feel that this was an unfair characterization of the events described above. Surely we would all stop short of blaming a child for her own abduction?
So what of the second war fought over Helen? The Trojan War is a blaming spot for Helen or not?!
Medusa
It must be incredibly isolating. Medusa cannot look at a friend, a person, even an animal without killing them. This perhaps explains why she lives in a cave…
Perseus is still afraid of her, even after he has beheaded her and trodden her down. If you’re looking for a better metaphor for virulent misogyny, I’m afraid I don’t have one.
Amazons
And when Amazons fight, they fight to the death. Be thankful they just want equality, and not payback.
women are stronger together than apart, even ones with superpowers.
Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra is the ultimate bad wife, in the same way that Medea is the ultimate bad mother. Clytemnestra was the woman men feared coming home to.
Yes, Clytemnestra is my favorite mortal, devastatingly clever and cunning and in many perspectives a villain, but why?
She is the mother of a daughter who has been slaughtered like an animal. Is it any wonder she nurses an unquenchable rage against the man who committed such a crime? Would we not think less of her if she had simply forgiven Agamemnon and moved on?
*****
Make no mistake, this woman is offering to fight a whole crowd of men if she has to:
"He’s the one you should have banished, she says. He’s the one who killed his own daughter, as though she were nothing more than a sacrificial animal. And what did you do about that? Nothing. I tell you what, if you can overthrow me, you can rule this place. If the gods decide differently, you’ll learn to live with it."
*****
So Clytemnestra is a byword in the ancient world, and ever since, for a bad wife, the worst wife even. But for wronged, silenced, unvalued daughters, she is something of a hero: a woman who refuses to be quiet when her child is killed, who disdains to accept things and move on, who will not make the best of what she has.
Eurydice
Again I wonder, no one ever asks mostly silent Eurydice what she might like, why should Eurydice feel the same way about Orpheus that he feels about her?
"Eurydice is desperately trying to make Orpheus look back, so she can return to the Underworld in peace. After multiple attempts, she finally lights upon the solution. She touches his neck and tells him she wants to hear his poem again. Unable to resist this appeal to his ego, Orpheus turns around and Eurydice ‘waved once and was gone’. She finally gets the peace she craves away from the man who bores her with his arrogance and his popular reputation. Eurydice knows the man behind the genius and she would, it turns out, prefer to be dead."
Phaedra
Who is Phaedra? villain or victim?
Phaedra, the wicked stepmother who defends her young and destroys all threats to their future, even at the cost of her own life.
Medea
If Clytemnestra is the worst wife in Greek myth, Medea can lay a strong claim to being its worst mother.
As we saw with Clytemnestra, there were few things more alarming to ancient Greek men than the machinations of a clever woman, and Medea is the cleverest of them all, she is already a dangerous figure: clever, female, foreign and magical.
Penelope
Penelope has been presented as a perfect wife for as long as her story has been told at all. And yet, her wifely qualities are what, precisely?
Don't make me wrong, Penelope is my favorite in good character, a woman who could stand beside Helen and not be found wanting, at least in the male gaze, BUT Penelope and Odysseus technically did not spend any time together...
"If we were considering the characteristics we might look for in a long-term partner, we would probably think of compatibility – emotional, psychological and sexual – as being pretty key."
From another point of view, we have Odysseus, he could be known as a perfect husband, right? Yes, 20 years away, a year with Circe, and seven with Calypso. But he rejects immortality to come back to his less beautiful and mortal wife.
"And here is Odysseus, offered eternal life but rejecting it. And all for the chance to return to a woman he has not seen for twenty years. A divorce lawyer might not call this fidelity, but it is something."
August 28, 2022
I came across this author when Waterstones told me they had this special signed edition of her latest book. Since I still have to wait for this book to arrive here, I checked for others and stumbled upon her previous publications. So now I'm reading the three that appealed to me the most - two fictions and this non-fiction.
We are told about 10 of the most famous women in Greek mythology:
1) Pandora
2) Jocasta
(this is kinda a weird depiction of Jocasta, but I find the artwork beautiful so I'm using it)
3) Helen
4) Medusa
5) Amazons
6) Clytemnestra
7) Eurydice
8) Phaedra
9) Medea
10) Penelope
We learn about every woman's story through the different versions of the Greek myths they feature in. But the author then also critically examines each version and puts it into context. This goes for ancient sources as well as later ones right up until modern incarnations. And yes, on top of poetry collections, Hollywood movie and TV show versions are referenced as well. *lol*
Especially remarkable was the reference to what had actually been done to French women after WW2 (their hair was shorn off and they were sometimes even disfigured to make them less beautiful in punishment for having been desirable to the enemy), which was basically what had been done to Medusa and perhaps to Helen, too - be it out of blame or to protect them.
And then there was the almost effortless incorporation of the examination of rape (looked at from a historical viewpoint as well as current figures), of men and women alike, in the context of real rapes vs. false allegations.
Most authors never go this far, though they should.
It shows how thoroughly at home the author is in Greek mythology and how vast her knowledge. Unsurprisingly, since the author is a journalist and has been on several podcasts and BBC programs about history and the classics for years.
This book never tries to lay blame on anyone in particular, no matter how morally wrong decisions made and actions taken were (see the example of the shorn or even mutilated women above) or how misogynistic most depictions have been. After all, it's not about payback but about elucidation.
Which is why the author manages to point out what has been and still is wrong by elaborating the difference in how women were shown and treated compared to how men were. This includes delicious logic errors being pointed out (many of which have irked me ever since I started reading mythology) and offers possible alternatives that were never addressed in the myths. However, that is all done without preaching or even screeching - she's scientifically detached and that is what I think I appreciated the most about this book.
Nevertheless, HOW you tell people about history and mythology goes a long way to get people interested and hold their interest, and this author has a wonderful writing style and narration (she reads the audiobook herself).
A thoroughly researched and detailed book that was erudite and fascinating from start to finish.
We are told about 10 of the most famous women in Greek mythology:
1) Pandora
2) Jocasta
(this is kinda a weird depiction of Jocasta, but I find the artwork beautiful so I'm using it)
3) Helen
4) Medusa
5) Amazons
6) Clytemnestra
7) Eurydice
8) Phaedra
9) Medea
10) Penelope
We learn about every woman's story through the different versions of the Greek myths they feature in. But the author then also critically examines each version and puts it into context. This goes for ancient sources as well as later ones right up until modern incarnations. And yes, on top of poetry collections, Hollywood movie and TV show versions are referenced as well. *lol*
Especially remarkable was the reference to what had actually been done to French women after WW2 (their hair was shorn off and they were sometimes even disfigured to make them less beautiful in punishment for having been desirable to the enemy), which was basically what had been done to Medusa and perhaps to Helen, too - be it out of blame or to protect them.
And then there was the almost effortless incorporation of the examination of rape (looked at from a historical viewpoint as well as current figures), of men and women alike, in the context of real rapes vs. false allegations.
Most authors never go this far, though they should.
It shows how thoroughly at home the author is in Greek mythology and how vast her knowledge. Unsurprisingly, since the author is a journalist and has been on several podcasts and BBC programs about history and the classics for years.
This book never tries to lay blame on anyone in particular, no matter how morally wrong decisions made and actions taken were (see the example of the shorn or even mutilated women above) or how misogynistic most depictions have been. After all, it's not about payback but about elucidation.
Which is why the author manages to point out what has been and still is wrong by elaborating the difference in how women were shown and treated compared to how men were. This includes delicious logic errors being pointed out (many of which have irked me ever since I started reading mythology) and offers possible alternatives that were never addressed in the myths. However, that is all done without preaching or even screeching - she's scientifically detached and that is what I think I appreciated the most about this book.
Nevertheless, HOW you tell people about history and mythology goes a long way to get people interested and hold their interest, and this author has a wonderful writing style and narration (she reads the audiobook herself).
A thoroughly researched and detailed book that was erudite and fascinating from start to finish.
January 3, 2021
Natalie Haynes is back with this eloquent, witty and powerful book about women from Greek mythology. We meet Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa and many more women who haven’t had their stories told this way, a way where every version of them is acknowledged, analysed, juxtaposed and most importantly humanised. Haynes provides us with every one of their myths and changes the perspective to add to their stories, giving us far more fully fleshed out characters. It’s interesting how much more three dimensional these mythological women become when their stories are being told by a writer who addresses their tales with warmth and nuance. Haynes touches on the works of playwrights like Euripides and Sophocles, art from Michaelangelo and brings in revelations from Pseudo Apollodorus and Aeschylus among many others to invoke a deeper meaning to the stories of the women we think we know.
Fascinating and spellbinding, I’ll be recommending this book to everyone I know.
Fascinating and spellbinding, I’ll be recommending this book to everyone I know.
April 6, 2022
I knew going into the audiobook that it was going to be interesting but I wasn't prepared on how emersed and focused I would be in her tellings of women in Greek mythology. It was so well told and excellent narrated and very interesting to listen as I coloured in my boos or what not. Have noticed I'm a lot more intrigued in learning in women's history than I pick up but definitely need to find more books in those topics
May 13, 2021
Haines spends too much time analysing what playwrights did with females from Greek mythology and then extrapolating it to mean that's the actual historical reality of the period, which is a poor way to prove her claims, especially when she uses people like Euripides, a fiction writer who wasn't exactly "the norm" in his interpretations.
February 3, 2023
الكتاب عبارة عن اعادة حكي "من التاريخ" لنسخ مختلفة عن قصص النساء في الميثولوجيا الإغريقية. لم تخترع ناتلي هاينس تأويلاتها الخاصة لما نعرفه، وانما صدمتنا بأن ما نعرفه ليس ديمًا هو الحقيقة، أو على أقل تقدير ليس هو الحقيقة الوحيدة وإن كان قد تم تصويرها وكأنها ذلك عمدًا.
أقرأ الكتاب وأنا أفكر في بلادي التي تُسجن فيها الفتيات لتقديم فيديوهات على تيك توك، وتقتل فيها من حين لأخر بدوافع الشرف والعار والعاطفة، ولا أستطيع فصل الميثولوجيتين عن بعض.
هام وينصح به.
أقرأ الكتاب وأنا أفكر في بلادي التي تُسجن فيها الفتيات لتقديم فيديوهات على تيك توك، وتقتل فيها من حين لأخر بدوافع الشرف والعار والعاطفة، ولا أستطيع فصل الميثولوجيتين عن بعض.
هام وينصح به.
December 23, 2022
5 ✨✨✨
This is an excellent book.
I'll definitely reread it.
Funny and witty. Loved it.
This is an excellent book.
I'll definitely reread it.
Funny and witty. Loved it.
August 4, 2020
This was a well researched and impressive book, but just to note this is a non fiction piece of work which delves into the histories and different representations of a variety of women in Greek myth and legend, such as Helen, Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Medusa and many more. I feel like you have to have a fairly good knowledge of Greek plays and myths prior to reading this book but if you're able to keep up with the references and different stories then it shouldn't pose too much of an issue. I wanted to enjoy this more but I found myself skim reading some of the chapters as other figures were more interesting to me. This book gave me more of an anthology sort of feel where some chapters peaked my interest more than others so bear this in mind.
April 30, 2023
It was like a documentary and a collection of short stories.
Not what I expected after reading “Stone Blind”.
I was very disappointed.
Not what I expected after reading “Stone Blind”.
I was very disappointed.
April 13, 2022
“when women take up space, there is less available for men. but it means we get a whole story instead of half of one.”
pandora’s jar is a compassionate, thorough examination of the remarkable women in greek mythology. haynes draws on both classical and contemporary tellings of these myths to explore why and how these fascinating, nuanced women have often been reduced to stereotypes—“villains, victims, wives and monsters”—while still remaining entertaining and accessible to readers.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
rating: 4.5/5.0 stars
June 6, 2021
My problem with this book is perfectly explained by Natalie Haynes at the end of the Penelope chapter, assuming there is a one valid interpretation of the Greek myths is a mistake, but she spends a lot of the earlier chapters complaining about wrong interpretations of the women of these myths.
I found I got annoyed at the long descriptions of art works, which didn’t really give me an idea why she thought many of the pieces were important, and I could simply google the actual images anyway. A lot of the text is drawn out retelling of various versions of the myths in plays or films, but didn’t add much to my understanding of the characters.
The basic point of the book seems to be that there are lots of versions of Greek myths and the role of the women changes depending on the version. It tries to dress it up in a feminist agenda that claims that these women are somehow belittled in their place in myth, but as you’re reading a book about some major characters in the myths that just happen to be female, it’s hard to follow the argument.
Natalie Haynes obviously loves Greek myths, and has done in-depth research, but this book doesn’t seem to know quite what it wants to be.
I found I got annoyed at the long descriptions of art works, which didn’t really give me an idea why she thought many of the pieces were important, and I could simply google the actual images anyway. A lot of the text is drawn out retelling of various versions of the myths in plays or films, but didn’t add much to my understanding of the characters.
The basic point of the book seems to be that there are lots of versions of Greek myths and the role of the women changes depending on the version. It tries to dress it up in a feminist agenda that claims that these women are somehow belittled in their place in myth, but as you’re reading a book about some major characters in the myths that just happen to be female, it’s hard to follow the argument.
Natalie Haynes obviously loves Greek myths, and has done in-depth research, but this book doesn’t seem to know quite what it wants to be.
March 31, 2023
There's something about Natalie Haynes' writing that I just love - she has this way of telling stories that pulls me in every time and makes me want to listen to her for hours. Which I guess is exactly what I did now, as I listened to the audiobook.
Complete review to come.
Complete review to come.
June 28, 2022
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes explores ten famous women in classical mythology by dedicating a chapter to each woman.
Beginning with Pandora and concluding with Penelope, Haynes examines the literary sources of these mythological figures, their various appearances in classical plays, poems, and artifacts, as well as their more recent manifestations in art, music, theatre, and film. Her exploration includes Jocasta, Helen of Troy, Medusa, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea, and the Amazons.
By exploring their representation in various classical works, Haynes expands our understanding of these figures. Her interrogation demonstrates their contradictory portrayals even within the classical period. They were used as scapegoats for the failings of men; as tools to implement a god’s vengeance; punished for being victims of male aggression; outsmarting their male counterparts; unfairly depicted as villains and monsters; and blamed for situations over which they had no control. She fleshes out these women, giving them voice and a nuanced portrayal.
Among the classical playwrights, Euripides emerges as a favorite for writing strong roles for women and for placing them center stage instead of relegating them to the margins. He gives voice to their suffering and subordinate status as no other classical writer has done. His Medea is praised for its portrayal of a brilliant, scheming woman whose speeches about the position of women in patriarchy continue to resonate centuries later.
Haynes is well-versed in the classics. She provides a broad outline of the texts in which each of the women appear. And then she interrogates the text and poses questions to challenge the predominant lens of male privilege. She peppers her analysis with Greek and Latin words, translating them and explaining their linguistic ambiguities. She argues our perspective on these women has been colored by centuries of a skewed interpretation of language influenced by a misogynistic lens. She aims to encourage a re-visioning of these women and offers a new and invigorating re-interpretation of their role in mythology.
Haynes’ feminist analysis of these famous women in classical texts is accessible, lively, and peppered with humor and wit. Although her extensive knowledge of classical literature is apparent, she doesn’t weigh the work down with heavy scholarship. Her language is accessible and engaging; her interpretations are provocative and refreshing. She challenges the reader to re-visit the women in classical mythology with a fresh look and a more nuanced and balanced lens.
Highly recommended.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
Beginning with Pandora and concluding with Penelope, Haynes examines the literary sources of these mythological figures, their various appearances in classical plays, poems, and artifacts, as well as their more recent manifestations in art, music, theatre, and film. Her exploration includes Jocasta, Helen of Troy, Medusa, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea, and the Amazons.
By exploring their representation in various classical works, Haynes expands our understanding of these figures. Her interrogation demonstrates their contradictory portrayals even within the classical period. They were used as scapegoats for the failings of men; as tools to implement a god’s vengeance; punished for being victims of male aggression; outsmarting their male counterparts; unfairly depicted as villains and monsters; and blamed for situations over which they had no control. She fleshes out these women, giving them voice and a nuanced portrayal.
Among the classical playwrights, Euripides emerges as a favorite for writing strong roles for women and for placing them center stage instead of relegating them to the margins. He gives voice to their suffering and subordinate status as no other classical writer has done. His Medea is praised for its portrayal of a brilliant, scheming woman whose speeches about the position of women in patriarchy continue to resonate centuries later.
Haynes is well-versed in the classics. She provides a broad outline of the texts in which each of the women appear. And then she interrogates the text and poses questions to challenge the predominant lens of male privilege. She peppers her analysis with Greek and Latin words, translating them and explaining their linguistic ambiguities. She argues our perspective on these women has been colored by centuries of a skewed interpretation of language influenced by a misogynistic lens. She aims to encourage a re-visioning of these women and offers a new and invigorating re-interpretation of their role in mythology.
Haynes’ feminist analysis of these famous women in classical texts is accessible, lively, and peppered with humor and wit. Although her extensive knowledge of classical literature is apparent, she doesn’t weigh the work down with heavy scholarship. Her language is accessible and engaging; her interpretations are provocative and refreshing. She challenges the reader to re-visit the women in classical mythology with a fresh look and a more nuanced and balanced lens.
Highly recommended.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
November 11, 2021
I've read Natalie Haynes' fiction books A Thousand Ships and The Children of Jocasta before. I enjoyed both of these books, one more than the other, but I didn't nearly love them as much as I did Pandora's Jar, which is a nonfiction about women in the Greek myths. It was absolutely a brilliant read!
It's no secret that I love Greek mythology (and literally anything about the ancient Mediterranean world). I also just feel so happy that in the past few years the whole topic of Greek mythology has become very popular and us who are obsessed with it all have gotten lots of content to devour. On the downside you start to think when there's a new book related to Greek myth that you might not enjoy it as much since you've already read so much of it but that certainly wasn't the case with this one.
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths has chapters about Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, The Amazons, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea and Penelope. Each and every chapter was really fascinating to read but I did have my favorites. I really loved the ones about Pandora, Medusa, The Amazons, Eurydice and Medea. I'm so glad they all got their chance to shine in this book! A rather unexpected part of the women's stories and Natalie Haynes' voice was the humor which was somewhat dry. I totally loved that because that's exactly my type of humor too. It often made me go heh :)
So forget about Achilles, Theseus, Odysseus, Herakles, Jason and all those so-called heroes! Natalie Haynes is here to give the women in the Greek myths a voice, which is something they deserve after thousands and thousands of years of being silenced.
It's no secret that I love Greek mythology (and literally anything about the ancient Mediterranean world). I also just feel so happy that in the past few years the whole topic of Greek mythology has become very popular and us who are obsessed with it all have gotten lots of content to devour. On the downside you start to think when there's a new book related to Greek myth that you might not enjoy it as much since you've already read so much of it but that certainly wasn't the case with this one.
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths has chapters about Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, The Amazons, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea and Penelope. Each and every chapter was really fascinating to read but I did have my favorites. I really loved the ones about Pandora, Medusa, The Amazons, Eurydice and Medea. I'm so glad they all got their chance to shine in this book! A rather unexpected part of the women's stories and Natalie Haynes' voice was the humor which was somewhat dry. I totally loved that because that's exactly my type of humor too. It often made me go heh :)
So forget about Achilles, Theseus, Odysseus, Herakles, Jason and all those so-called heroes! Natalie Haynes is here to give the women in the Greek myths a voice, which is something they deserve after thousands and thousands of years of being silenced.
November 7, 2022
3.5 stars
Did I find this to be a particularly original or incisive work of scholarship? No.
Did I nevertheless get something out of it? Yes.
Did I enjoy reading it? Yes.
Natalie Haynes is a classicist who has dipped into the feminist mythological retelling craze herself, and this nonfiction work is worth a read if, like me, you’re interested in learning a bit more about the women portrayed in Greek myths and how they’ve been reinterpreted over the years. A key takeaway is that while some of these women were sidelined or poorly treated by ancient authors, in many cases they were actually complex, sympathetic and/or powerful figures, who have in fact been watered down, dehumanized or sidelined in 19th and 20th century versions of their stories rather than by the Greeks themselves.
Much of the book consists of simply describing portrayals of particular myths, recounting the plays of Euripides (this was my favorite part—at least in Haynes’s interpretation of them, the women in these plays were vibrant and complex characters, and the stories are quite compelling) or describing vase paintings (there is an egregious lack of color plates in this book, forcing readers to turn to the internet for the visual art described). The pointing out of misogyny is generally pretty obvious, the modern works Haynes relates to the classics don’t always seem to merit the space she gives them, and the informal tone can be a bit jarring. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it as a fun, unchallenging work of nonfiction that left me conversant on the content and development of stories I knew nothing about before. It has definitely given me direction on which retellings I want to seek out.
There are 10 essays here, and I’ve ordered them by how much I now want to read retellings focused on these characters:
1-3: The villains, of course! Clytemnestra, Medea and Phaedra all sound like fascinating characters, though a Phaedra retelling would perhaps work better as a movie or novella than a novel. But the biggest challenge for a modern author would be not whitewashing them, morally speaking (except perhaps Clytemnestra, who depending on your interpretation of her motives, was pretty sympathetic to begin with).
4: The Amazons: This is a single chapter, because they were generally depicted more as a team than individuals. They fought as a unit and were considered the equals of male warriors, though in the wars they always seemed to lose. I’d love to see someone take them on in fiction, but an author who would do serious research on the setting and not focus on (heterosexual) romance—Nicola Griffith, perhaps.
5: Medusa: In Haynes’s telling, she was always pure victim—turned into a monster as punishment for being raped, went to live in a remote cave to avoid harming anyone with her curse (accompanied by her sisters, who were unaffected), then murdered in her sleep by some douche whose stepfather sent him on a quest to have a clearer path to his mom. Haynes has in fact written this retelling, and I’m interested.
6: Penelope: More than just the perfect, long-suffering wife, she’s very clever beneath the surface, and keeps her secrets close. Perhaps one of the harder ones to mess up, as long as the author gets the voice right.
7: Helen: There are some interesting variations on Helen’s story (in one, she never went to Troy at all—that was just a simulacrum, and she was safely in Egypt the whole time!), and some telling details about her relationships with Paris’s family. I also didn’t know about her kidnapping as a young girl. This retelling seems difficult to do in a way that would interest me, though also a potential crowd-pleaser.
8: Jocasta: I’m not sure why this section came so early in the book; while it’s interesting to view the Oedipus story from the mom’s perspective, and some of the details are quite telling when you think about them, the character doesn’t generally seem to have had much substance.
9: Eurydice: Has even less substance, though those modern poems from the perspective of a Eurydice who wasn’t that into Orpheus sound like fun.
10: Pandora: The Eve parallel is notable, and the discussion about culpability worth having, though the character herself doesn’t sound very interesting. A bit of trivia: Pandora originally had a jar, not a box; that was a later mistranslation.
Because all the characters in Greek myth seem to intersect, I’ve also now learned enough to know that I don’t care about Ariadne (young woman finds hormones to override sense, the end?). Interestingly, Haynes’s feminism definitely does not extend to goddesses (except perhaps Persephone), who are often at fault for mortal women’s plights. While that’s a reasonable line to draw, I’d be interested in reading more about how they’ve been depicted and interpreted over the years, and why certain portrayals might have developed. I’d never thought of Athena as an embodiment of “not like other girls,” but her favorites really are always men, aren’t they?
Did I find this to be a particularly original or incisive work of scholarship? No.
Did I nevertheless get something out of it? Yes.
Did I enjoy reading it? Yes.
Natalie Haynes is a classicist who has dipped into the feminist mythological retelling craze herself, and this nonfiction work is worth a read if, like me, you’re interested in learning a bit more about the women portrayed in Greek myths and how they’ve been reinterpreted over the years. A key takeaway is that while some of these women were sidelined or poorly treated by ancient authors, in many cases they were actually complex, sympathetic and/or powerful figures, who have in fact been watered down, dehumanized or sidelined in 19th and 20th century versions of their stories rather than by the Greeks themselves.
Much of the book consists of simply describing portrayals of particular myths, recounting the plays of Euripides (this was my favorite part—at least in Haynes’s interpretation of them, the women in these plays were vibrant and complex characters, and the stories are quite compelling) or describing vase paintings (there is an egregious lack of color plates in this book, forcing readers to turn to the internet for the visual art described). The pointing out of misogyny is generally pretty obvious, the modern works Haynes relates to the classics don’t always seem to merit the space she gives them, and the informal tone can be a bit jarring. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it as a fun, unchallenging work of nonfiction that left me conversant on the content and development of stories I knew nothing about before. It has definitely given me direction on which retellings I want to seek out.
There are 10 essays here, and I’ve ordered them by how much I now want to read retellings focused on these characters:
1-3: The villains, of course! Clytemnestra, Medea and Phaedra all sound like fascinating characters, though a Phaedra retelling would perhaps work better as a movie or novella than a novel. But the biggest challenge for a modern author would be not whitewashing them, morally speaking (except perhaps Clytemnestra, who depending on your interpretation of her motives, was pretty sympathetic to begin with).
4: The Amazons: This is a single chapter, because they were generally depicted more as a team than individuals. They fought as a unit and were considered the equals of male warriors, though in the wars they always seemed to lose. I’d love to see someone take them on in fiction, but an author who would do serious research on the setting and not focus on (heterosexual) romance—Nicola Griffith, perhaps.
5: Medusa: In Haynes’s telling, she was always pure victim—turned into a monster as punishment for being raped, went to live in a remote cave to avoid harming anyone with her curse (accompanied by her sisters, who were unaffected), then murdered in her sleep by some douche whose stepfather sent him on a quest to have a clearer path to his mom. Haynes has in fact written this retelling, and I’m interested.
6: Penelope: More than just the perfect, long-suffering wife, she’s very clever beneath the surface, and keeps her secrets close. Perhaps one of the harder ones to mess up, as long as the author gets the voice right.
7: Helen: There are some interesting variations on Helen’s story (in one, she never went to Troy at all—that was just a simulacrum, and she was safely in Egypt the whole time!), and some telling details about her relationships with Paris’s family. I also didn’t know about her kidnapping as a young girl. This retelling seems difficult to do in a way that would interest me, though also a potential crowd-pleaser.
8: Jocasta: I’m not sure why this section came so early in the book; while it’s interesting to view the Oedipus story from the mom’s perspective, and some of the details are quite telling when you think about them, the character doesn’t generally seem to have had much substance.
9: Eurydice: Has even less substance, though those modern poems from the perspective of a Eurydice who wasn’t that into Orpheus sound like fun.
10: Pandora: The Eve parallel is notable, and the discussion about culpability worth having, though the character herself doesn’t sound very interesting. A bit of trivia: Pandora originally had a jar, not a box; that was a later mistranslation.
Because all the characters in Greek myth seem to intersect, I’ve also now learned enough to know that I don’t care about Ariadne (young woman finds hormones to override sense, the end?). Interestingly, Haynes’s feminism definitely does not extend to goddesses (except perhaps Persephone), who are often at fault for mortal women’s plights. While that’s a reasonable line to draw, I’d be interested in reading more about how they’ve been depicted and interpreted over the years, and why certain portrayals might have developed. I’d never thought of Athena as an embodiment of “not like other girls,” but her favorites really are always men, aren’t they?
February 18, 2022
4.5 ⭐️
NETGALLEY VLOG & FULL THOUGHTS: https://youtu.be/1FsF-U-VQFo
Completely unexpected, but so SO good if you are at all interested in Greek mythology and the stories behind the women throughout. More thoughts in our NetGalley vlog out at the end of the month, but BRAVO. Very impressed.
xx
-Christine
NETGALLEY VLOG & FULL THOUGHTS: https://youtu.be/1FsF-U-VQFo
Completely unexpected, but so SO good if you are at all interested in Greek mythology and the stories behind the women throughout. More thoughts in our NetGalley vlog out at the end of the month, but BRAVO. Very impressed.
xx
-Christine
February 26, 2023
2023 Review
After listening to Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes, I revisited the chapter on Medusa in my kindle to find myself reading this one all over again.
After an introduction, Natalie Haynes shares her views and retells these stories with sources, different versions and modern interpretations. There are ten chapters in the book, it starts with Pandora and ends with Penelope.
Natalie Haynes reminds me how Pandora can’t be held for all the world’s evil’s just because she opened a jar, a jar by the way that crops up later. Or how Penelope is sharp as Odysseus in how she duped the suitors. Or maybe Eurydice did not want to return with Orpheus and was quite happy to stay in Hades. Or maybe Helen was never there to cause of the Trojan war. And maybe Madea, Phaedra, Clytemnestra, Penthesilea , Jocasta and Medusa are also all portrayed unjustly.
Making this not only a useful reference to keep referring back to, but also an entertaining read.
2022 Review
This is the book I needed when I was starting to read Greek myths, especially in play form. The book covers 10 well known female characters, including Clytemnestra and Medusa, each are covered in depth with their own chapter. The book is loaded with info that kept me engaged and interested. I also liked how Natalie Haynes ran through different versions of the story (and reference the Greek text) to show how representation of heroines from Greek myths have gotten skewwhiff.
I also enjoyed how it highlighted cultural attitudes by showing how stories were adapted to fit their own times. It did all this in less than 300 pages, where at no point I felt I was reading a dry boring book.
After listening to Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes, I revisited the chapter on Medusa in my kindle to find myself reading this one all over again.
After an introduction, Natalie Haynes shares her views and retells these stories with sources, different versions and modern interpretations. There are ten chapters in the book, it starts with Pandora and ends with Penelope.
Natalie Haynes reminds me how Pandora can’t be held for all the world’s evil’s just because she opened a jar, a jar by the way that crops up later. Or how Penelope is sharp as Odysseus in how she duped the suitors. Or maybe Eurydice did not want to return with Orpheus and was quite happy to stay in Hades. Or maybe Helen was never there to cause of the Trojan war. And maybe Madea, Phaedra, Clytemnestra, Penthesilea , Jocasta and Medusa are also all portrayed unjustly.
Making this not only a useful reference to keep referring back to, but also an entertaining read.
2022 Review
This is the book I needed when I was starting to read Greek myths, especially in play form. The book covers 10 well known female characters, including Clytemnestra and Medusa, each are covered in depth with their own chapter. The book is loaded with info that kept me engaged and interested. I also liked how Natalie Haynes ran through different versions of the story (and reference the Greek text) to show how representation of heroines from Greek myths have gotten skewwhiff.
I also enjoyed how it highlighted cultural attitudes by showing how stories were adapted to fit their own times. It did all this in less than 300 pages, where at no point I felt I was reading a dry boring book.
Read
August 13, 2023“Myths may be the home of the miraculous, but they are also mirrors of us. Which version of a story we choose to tell, which characters we place in the foreground, which ones we allow to fade into the shadows: these reflect both the teller and the reader, as much as they show the characters of the myth. We have made space in our story-telling to rediscover women who have been lost or forgotten. They are not villains, victims, wives and monsters: they are people.”
After reading and loving A Thousand ships I could not wait to pick this one up and whilst it is more of a non-fiction read compared to A thousand ships, it was just as brilliant! Haynes knowledge and passion of Greek myths just radiates through her books ... always so well researched and perfectly detailed they never disappoint.
In pandoras Jar Haynes gives a brief but in-depth feminist exploration of ten notable women from Greek myth (Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, The Amazon’s, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea and Penelope) and not only was it fascinating, insightful and just utterly captivating, it was also surprisingly quite funny at times too. I loved it!
I also enjoyed the more modern references throughout the book, such as Beyonce, Star Trek, Orange is the new black, Clash of the Titans and my favourite being the Amazons chapter where Haynes compares the Amazon warriors such as Penthesilea to Buffy the vampire Slayer.
Without a doubt and recommended read from me for all who love Greek mythology - especially if you already have quite a bit of knowledge of Greek mythology and these particular characters and their stories.
An insightful, clever and witty read!
After reading and loving A Thousand ships I could not wait to pick this one up and whilst it is more of a non-fiction read compared to A thousand ships, it was just as brilliant! Haynes knowledge and passion of Greek myths just radiates through her books ... always so well researched and perfectly detailed they never disappoint.
In pandoras Jar Haynes gives a brief but in-depth feminist exploration of ten notable women from Greek myth (Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, The Amazon’s, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea and Penelope) and not only was it fascinating, insightful and just utterly captivating, it was also surprisingly quite funny at times too. I loved it!
I also enjoyed the more modern references throughout the book, such as Beyonce, Star Trek, Orange is the new black, Clash of the Titans and my favourite being the Amazons chapter where Haynes compares the Amazon warriors such as Penthesilea to Buffy the vampire Slayer.
Without a doubt and recommended read from me for all who love Greek mythology - especially if you already have quite a bit of knowledge of Greek mythology and these particular characters and their stories.
An insightful, clever and witty read!
December 27, 2023
6/5 ⭐️
September 13, 2022
In 10 separate chapters, Natalie Haynes profiles 9 women from Greek mythology and three of the Amazons in the other chapter. For the most part, the profiled women are secondary or tertiary characters, and Haynes draws on her extensive research to provide thoughtful commentary, often drawing parallels into more modern settings. She also often refers to pottery images and imagery from museums around the world. One of her primary conclusions is that women were often blamed for the shortcomings of male characters, usually unfairly, such as Helen being responsible for the Trojan war when, in fact, she was a victim of kidnapping. I found the book slow and often providing too much detail.
September 14, 2023
Yes, I five starred Natalie Haynes again but how can you not give full marks to a woman who not only knows her subject inside and out but can modernise a telling so that even a twit such as I can follow it. All this and putting the women back at the heart of their own stories.
I've read quite a bit of Greek myth at this stage but there was a good 80% of this book that I wanted to read because of gaps in that knowledge - those who are mentioned in passing such as Phaedra or those often passed over in favour of a more important goddess - Medea.
So my favourite parts were Pandora, Medea, The Amazons, Phaedra, Eurydice and (even though I've read several accounts) Penelope. Natalie Haynes uses several sources to bring the women to life and even has the good grace to recommend other books written about them.
I listened to the audio because (again) Natalie herself narrated and she is clearly so engaged and enthusiastic (and at times passionately sarcastic) about her topic you cannot fail to be engaged. Bravo! Encore!
I've read quite a bit of Greek myth at this stage but there was a good 80% of this book that I wanted to read because of gaps in that knowledge - those who are mentioned in passing such as Phaedra or those often passed over in favour of a more important goddess - Medea.
So my favourite parts were Pandora, Medea, The Amazons, Phaedra, Eurydice and (even though I've read several accounts) Penelope. Natalie Haynes uses several sources to bring the women to life and even has the good grace to recommend other books written about them.
I listened to the audio because (again) Natalie herself narrated and she is clearly so engaged and enthusiastic (and at times passionately sarcastic) about her topic you cannot fail to be engaged. Bravo! Encore!
January 27, 2024
Natalie Haynes my love!
A Thousand Ships was my favorite read of 2022, so I knew I was going to like her nonfiction. Pandora's Jar is a series of essays about the mortal women in Greek myths, more particularly looking at these stories from a modern perspective. How have they been reinterpreted over time? How can we view them now? Haynes is both a scholar and a comedian, and that shines through her thorough examinations of 10 different women, as well as her dry wit.
There is just SO much passion here, and it comes through in the meticulous detail paid to both classical plays and the (ancient) Greek language. I was initially worried about having difficulty following the analysis (I don't know much about Greek myths, I've never read/studied The Iliad or The Odyssey), but Haynes provides a rundown of each story in the corresponding chapters. I also enjoyed when she compared different historical plays and scholarship focusing on the same character - it's just cool to know that you pull can both literary analysis from ancient Rome and, like, 1983, and both have weight. For me, the highlights of the book were the chapters on Helen, Medea, and Penelope.
At the same time, I didn't love this quite as much as I expected to. It's really not my place to argue about Haynes's scholarship, but I can contest some of her linguistic points. There's a few times where she takes a Greek word, and uses the existence of that word to prove a larger social point. Something I pointed out in my notes for this book is that she says early on that the plural to refer to a group of people of mixed gender is the same as that to refer to a group of men, and this is evidence that women have been 'erased' from society. Linguistically, this just isn't true. It's common in many Latin languages today (ex. 'ellos' refers to a group of all men and a group of men and women in Spanish), but it doesn't carry that social meaning. While this is just one detail, it made me call into question some of the other sociolinguistic assumptions made in the book, particularly about word choice and implicated meaning.
Some of the essays were a bit weaker than others - the ones on Pandora, Eurydice, and Phaedra were ehhhh - but to some extent that's to be expected in any collection. I wish there was maybe a broader range for the subjects of this book. Especially towards the middle, it didn't necessarily feel like each essay differentiated itself enough to warrant a full chapter. Your mileage may vary on this, though, depending on how much personal investment you bring to each character.
I will definitely read Divine Might, which focuses on goddesses, and would generally recommend this one!
A Thousand Ships was my favorite read of 2022, so I knew I was going to like her nonfiction. Pandora's Jar is a series of essays about the mortal women in Greek myths, more particularly looking at these stories from a modern perspective. How have they been reinterpreted over time? How can we view them now? Haynes is both a scholar and a comedian, and that shines through her thorough examinations of 10 different women, as well as her dry wit.
There is just SO much passion here, and it comes through in the meticulous detail paid to both classical plays and the (ancient) Greek language. I was initially worried about having difficulty following the analysis (I don't know much about Greek myths, I've never read/studied The Iliad or The Odyssey), but Haynes provides a rundown of each story in the corresponding chapters. I also enjoyed when she compared different historical plays and scholarship focusing on the same character - it's just cool to know that you pull can both literary analysis from ancient Rome and, like, 1983, and both have weight. For me, the highlights of the book were the chapters on Helen, Medea, and Penelope.
At the same time, I didn't love this quite as much as I expected to. It's really not my place to argue about Haynes's scholarship, but I can contest some of her linguistic points. There's a few times where she takes a Greek word, and uses the existence of that word to prove a larger social point. Something I pointed out in my notes for this book is that she says early on that the plural to refer to a group of people of mixed gender is the same as that to refer to a group of men, and this is evidence that women have been 'erased' from society. Linguistically, this just isn't true. It's common in many Latin languages today (ex. 'ellos' refers to a group of all men and a group of men and women in Spanish), but it doesn't carry that social meaning. While this is just one detail, it made me call into question some of the other sociolinguistic assumptions made in the book, particularly about word choice and implicated meaning.
Some of the essays were a bit weaker than others - the ones on Pandora, Eurydice, and Phaedra were ehhhh - but to some extent that's to be expected in any collection. I wish there was maybe a broader range for the subjects of this book. Especially towards the middle, it didn't necessarily feel like each essay differentiated itself enough to warrant a full chapter. Your mileage may vary on this, though, depending on how much personal investment you bring to each character.
I will definitely read Divine Might, which focuses on goddesses, and would generally recommend this one!
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