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Heroides
Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2001
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June 17, 2019
The Heroides are a collection of short pieces that are presented as letters from figures of Greek myths to their lovers. Most of them are from the women to their absent lovers, such as Penelope writing to Odysseus, but the last few are pairs that have a letter from the man and then a response. They're an interesting, kind of post-modern look at some of the myths, showing the heroes from an unexpected angle. The best of the pieces, I think, are the ones between Paris and Helen, which include a response. There are some arguments in there about the seduction/kidnapping that I hadn't heard before. Medea's letter to Jason was pretty good, too.
At the same time, it's not a perfect collection. Like Seneca's plays, it assumes the audience is deeply knowledgeable about the myths, so there are a lot of important details that are implied or elided. I've been reading a lot of Greek myths, and I still had to look up some of the narrators. Also, too many of the female-narrated stories have the same plaintive, weak tone, and not enough variation. I mean, it's an ancient Roman's view of how women should feel, who should be surprised? But it feels like a lost opportunity.
At the same time, it's not a perfect collection. Like Seneca's plays, it assumes the audience is deeply knowledgeable about the myths, so there are a lot of important details that are implied or elided. I've been reading a lot of Greek myths, and I still had to look up some of the narrators. Also, too many of the female-narrated stories have the same plaintive, weak tone, and not enough variation. I mean, it's an ancient Roman's view of how women should feel, who should be surprised? But it feels like a lost opportunity.
Displaying 1 of 1 review