The Silence of the Girls (Women of Troy, #1)

Questions About The Silence of the Girls (Women of Troy, #1)

by Pat Barker

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Answered Questions (19)

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Katelijne Sommen Why should the author honour Homer's original plot points, when the exact and explicit point of this novel is that the stories that have reached us ar…moreWhy should the author honour Homer's original plot points, when the exact and explicit point of this novel is that the stories that have reached us are the stories of men, not those of women?

Homer tells us Agamemnon never touched her. Barker, operating from a version of Briseis' imagined experience, tells us that in that version, it makes perfect sense that he DID, and absolutely wouldn't baulk at lying under oath to Zeus. This only drives home the point that the time Briseis lived in, and the war even moreso, served to silence women to the point where their actual, brutal experience was completely meaningless and would not have even been considered to have any relevance. (less)
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Is this too inappropriate for a teenaged girl to read?
Myriam Roberts This book is very educational and would be an eye-opener to the lives of many women in the ancient world. You might have to explain the importance of …moreThis book is very educational and would be an eye-opener to the lives of many women in the ancient world. You might have to explain the importance of weaving and what a loom is. But this book is no worse than what is in the Old Testament. (less)
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Why does it not seem to bother anyone that this book reads like it takes place in Britain? I'm sure that the Greek gods didn't go around saying things like "bloody hell", "pain in the arse", "bugger off" or any such British slang. That ruined this book for me.
Isa It buggers me too. The author should have studied the way ancient Greeks spoke. It doesn't matter that she uses English, it doesn't depend on that lik…moreIt buggers me too. The author should have studied the way ancient Greeks spoke. It doesn't matter that she uses English, it doesn't depend on that like some readers seem to think. She simply uses ways of saying that ancient Greeks would never use because it didn't reflect their thinking (and this shows also when she make them do things they couldn't possibly do because it was beyond their knowledge). As a person that studied ancient texts a lot it's something that really stands out and not in a good way. (less)
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Al Maki It's touched on lightly. There's a scene where Ajax comes to visit Achilles and his young son plays on the veranda with a wooden horse, which is consi…moreIt's touched on lightly. There's a scene where Ajax comes to visit Achilles and his young son plays on the veranda with a wooden horse, which is consistent with Briseis seeing the Greeks mostly as big angry baby boys.(less)
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How does this compare to Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles? I loved that book.
Xameri While I love The Song of Achilles, Patroclus love for Achilles colors his telling of the story. The Silence of the Girls is much more critical of the …moreWhile I love The Song of Achilles, Patroclus love for Achilles colors his telling of the story. The Silence of the Girls is much more critical of the man (and monster) that Achilles was. I would say The Song of Achilles is more of a love story while The Silence of the Girls is about surviving in the midst of war and all the horrors that entails plus the complicated emotions that arise when forced to live with and serve those who conquered you. This book gives Briseis and all the other women a voice that The Song of Achilles does not. (less)
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