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I read The Penelopiad a while ago, but I don't remember it teaching me a lot about mythology. But then again I had already read The Odyssey so there is that. And a word of advice: If you're going to read The Iliad I'd skip a lot of the battle scenes... it's mostly who dies, how they die, and who they're related to.
Oh yeah...I raised my children on D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Mythology. It's illustrated in beautiful watercolors (or pastels?) so even I can remember some of the stories, and who's who in the world of the ancient greek myths.
Katie, I read The Penelopiad a few months ago. I really liked it. It was a quick read and was the other side of Odysseus' tale.
I remember being in high school studying the myths in short story form, but I don't know where my teachers got those from.
I've heard The Penelopiad The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus by Margaret Atwood is also good. I have a copy, but haven't read it yet.
Ecstasia and Primavera by Francesca Lia Block are a beautiful pair of companion novels which retell the Orpheus myth, both recently reissued in paperback. Lyrical, dreamlike and filled with poetic imagery.
Oh,Gods Behaving Badly is good. Do you think you need to know a bit about the Greek gods to appreciate it fully?
Mary Renault has written a number of great novels based on Greek legends, like Theseus, and they are definitely worth reading. It's been ages since I read them, and I do not remember if the gods were characters in them, though.
I read Mythology in high school...it's a little dry.
I'm a book fan of juvenile/young adult literature and the Percy Jackson series by Riordian taught me a lot about Greek mythology that I didn't know or had forgotten. It's about a young man who discovers that he's the son of a god.
On a more adult scale...there's Gods Behaving Badly A Novel which puts the gods in modern times. For a while there were talks about it becoming a movie, not sure what happened with that though.
I took a course in college called Love in Antiquity. We read a lot of Greek mythology. The one that stands out in my mind is Lysistrata by Aristophanes.
Hands down, my favorite of all time is: Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece Mythology's Great Tales of Valor and Romance. I first read it back in high school and many times since! I just love the stories! Runner up: Mythology.
Tera, I have read a little on this subject, but nothing that really caught my fancy. I did read Mythology by Edith Hamilton, and it was interesting, but not exciting. I have also read Pandora's Box A Three-Dimensional Celebration of the Mythology of Ancient Greece, but it seemed like mainly an introduction, more designed for school kids. Plus I read The Iliad, but truthfully while I found it interesting, it was also tiring to read. I'd love to find a nice, engrossing novel that explains the Greek Gods and mythology in an easy to undertand manner.
Tera, Bulfinch's Mythology reads like a collecton of short stories, and is available in the Modern Library paperback format. There's also Edith Hamilton's Mythology, which is considered a classic, but I was never too excited about it. Bulfinch seems to be a better storyteller. If you like poetry, you can check out Ovid's Metamorphosis, which is full of the mythology stories.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Pandora's Box: A Three-Dimensional Celebration of the Mythology of Ancient Greece (other topics)Mythology (other topics)
The Iliad (other topics)
Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece: Mythology's Great Tales of Valor and Romance (other topics)
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