Exploring Greek Myth

Exploring Greek Myth offers a unique and extensive discussion of variant forms of myths and many lesser–known stories, including important local myths, known mostly in a particular city, and local versions of the PanHellenic myths; both crucially reflect the rituals, social practices, and mythic landscape of the world in which they were told. The book presents research that has accumulated over the past decades in a way that is accessible for those who are not yet scholars in the field. In doing so, it fills in the gap between introductory texts about Greek myth and scholarly works on the subject.

Clark  begins with a provisional definition of myth, and then moves on to consider a range of topics, which include the sources of our knowledge of Greek myth, myth and ritual in ancient Greek society, comparative myth, myth and gender, hero cult, psychological interpretation of myth, and myth and philosophy. By drawing on the work and analytical methods of many leading scholars in the field, the book helps students appreciate the variety of the study of myth in one volume.

List of Illustrations vii

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Chapter One: The Knife Did It 1

Definitions and Characteristics for the Study of Myth

Chapter Two: Six Hundred Gods 15

Greek Myth and Greek Religion

Chapter Three: Homer s Beauty Pageant 30

The Traditions of Myth

Chapter Four: Pelops Shoulder 43

Sources for the Study of Myth

Chapter Five: Ikaros Wings, Aktaion s Dogs 54

Myth and Meaning

Chapter Six: The Bones of Orestes 68

Heroes in Myth and Society

Chapter Seven: Born from the Earth 80

Founders of Cities and Families

Chapter Eight: The Judgment of Paris 97

Comparative Myth

Chapter Nine: Boys in Dresses, Brides with Beards 111

Myth and Gender

Chapter Ten: Agamemnon s Mask? 126

Myth and History

Chapter Eleven: Orestes on Trial 140

Myth and Thought

Chapter Twelve: Plato and the Poets 154

Philosophy and Myth

Chapter Thirteen: Conclusion 168

Notes 171

References 179

Index 187

Matthew Clark is Associate Professor of Ancient Greek Literature and Culture in the Department of Humanities at York University in Toronto. His previous publications include Out of Line: Homeric Composition Beyond the Hexameter (1997), A Matter of Style: Writing and Technique (2002), and Narrative Structures and the Language of the Self (2010).

This volume admirably achieves Clark s goal of bridging the gap between the introductory books and the scholarly studies.  Summing Up:  Recommended.  Lower–level undergraduates and above; general readers.   (Choice, 1 October 2012)