Classical Mythology: Images and Insights

Rating:
Summary: good, but at times maddening
Review: Harris and Platzner's Classical Mythology is thorough and eloquently written. I particularly like the use of original sources (Hesiod, Homer, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, Virgil and Ovid)along with indepth analyses of the works themselves. Sometimes I think the authors' interpretations are a bit of a stretch, but nonetheless they are thoughtful and beautifully written.
However, I've decided NOT to use this as a textbbook for my introductory college level course, for a couple of reasons:

1) The organization: not infrequently myths are mentioned briefly in relation to something else before they are fully covered in their own right--a problem, I would think, for beginners. The book is arranged thematically--gods, male and female heroes, the view of after life, world in decline--rather than in a more straightforward myth-telling scheme (as in Barry Powell's book). All of this is quite interesting to someone who has a mid-level understanding of mythology, but I think it makes it a little harder for initiates to grasp the basic myths and their variants.

2) Practical usage: in some senses maddening. For example, simple chapter numerals at the top of each page would be incredibly helpful so that when the text refers to another chapter (which it does continually--because of the way the material is organized) you could find that particular chapter instead of having to rifle through the pages. Then there is the seemingly arbitrary way in which some names and terms are included in the glossary and some are not. Why? Even more arbitrary--and irritating!--is the decision to give helpful pronunciation guides to some terms but not others. Why Minos, for instance, but not moirae; or Aurora (really) but not Anaxagoras (where does the accent go?). Also, a more useful map would help.

But ultimtely, this book is beautiful and richly written--I enjoyed it immensely; furthermore, it offers solid insights into the ways myths might have developed (though Ken Dowden's book is more convincing) and the ways we interpret them today. The authors make quite clear the existence of variants for many if not most myths--which reflects the true complexity of classical mythology. And finally, the visuals are gorgeous, both the 4-color plates and the black & white photos.

Rating:
Summary: The best of the best!
Review: I am disappointed that some reviewer brought down the rating of this magnificent book with a review that is unbelievably off-target. As a mythology insructor and writer of books utilizing myth, and a psychotherapist who relates myth to the process of human transformation, I find this the most in-depth and meaningful guide to Greek mythology available - out of over 100 I have read. The questions and commentaries are particularly in-depth but above the level of junior high school and high school students. For those who wish to understand not only mythology but also its deeper implications and relevance.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of primary texts to go with the images & insights
Review: I managed to make it all the way to the 21st century before I actually made my students buy a single textbook that cost this much, but after my first semester of using the Fourth Edition of "Classical Mythology: Images & Insights" by Stephen L. Harris and Gloria Platzner I do not have any major regrets. In the past I have liked to rely mainly on primary texts, such as Homer's "Iliad" and a collection of Greek tragedies, supplemented by handouts, because I prefer that my students come up with their own interpretations. However, teaching a Classical Mythology course on line changes the dynamics of the teacher-student interaction, which made the switch to this textbook a viable option.

"Classical Mythology" is divided into five sections: (1) The Nature and Function of Myth, which introduces students to the Greek myths and ways of interpreting them; (2) Epic Myths and the Heroic Quest, which covers creation stories, the gods and goddesses, and the epic heroes from Perseus and Hercules to the Trojan War and the quest for Odysseus; (3) Tragic Heroes and Heroines looks at the tragic vision and the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides; (4) The World of Roman Myth explores the differences between Greek myths and Roman realities with an emphasis on Virgil's "Aeneid" and Ovid's "Metamorphoses"; and (5) The Western World's Transformations of Myth" is a single chapter section that explores the persistence of myth in terms of modern transmissions of classical myths. I found it necessary to break up Part II of the textbook so that the deities and the heroes were dealt with separately. This is a natural division that is certainly reflected in the organization of the chapters in that part.

In terms of primary sources "Classical Mythology" gives me more works that I have ever used in class before, including excerpts from Hesiod's "Theogony" and "Works and Days," along with some Homeric Hymns. I had used the "Orestia" of Aeschylus before, but the version I had included only a synopsis of "The Libation-Bearers" whereas Harris and Platzner include an abbreviated version of the middle play that includes what I think is the most powerful secene in the trilogy, where Clytemnestra begs her son for her life. I would have chosen a few different chapters from the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey," but that is offset by the fact that now I can have students read substantial parts of both works. Likewise, I would have liked to have had "Iphigenia at Aulis" and/or "The Trojan Women" in the volume because I really like the way the Euripides plays off the beginning and the end of the "Iliad," but again, this is a question of editorial discretion as you still have the "Orestia" and the Theban plays of "Sophocles," along with "Medea" and "Bacchae" by Euripides. I like my students to have a better idea of the dramatic structure and key concepts of Greek tragedy, but I already have that all worked out for my students.

As for the analysis of the classical myths provided by Harris and Platzner, I would say that it skews a bit higher than the undergraduate level. But whether you are using this textbook in the classroom or online you have amply opportunities to take issue with what in lecture or class notes. Then you also have the fact that this is richly illustrated volume with two sections of color plate photographs as well as dozens of black & white illustrations as well. The back of the book includes a lengthy glossary and a selected bibliography that will be of more interest to teachers than students. Overall, the key consideration here as far as I am concerned are the primary texts that are included, because there are a lot here for your students to read. I have not done an actual tally, but I would think that the primary texts account for half of this textbook, especially once you take all the illustrations out of the equation. "Classical Mythology: Images & Insights" is a challenging textbook for beginning mythology students, but I have found it to be worth the effort.