Natalie Haynes Stands Up For the Classics: More Comical Tales from Ancient Greece and Rome, Series 5-8

by Natalie Haynes

Four more series of Natalie Haynes' BBC Radio 4 show taking a comic look at the ancient world.

Author, broadcaster and 'rock star classicist' Natalie Haynes is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greece and Rome. In these four series, she explores some of the most prominent historical and mythological figures from the classical world, telling their stories through a mix of stand-up comedy and conversation.

Series 5 asks how much Aristotle knew about elephants' tongues and bivalves on Lesbos; introduces us to Claudia Severa and other Roman-British women; and investigates Suetonius - biographer of the Caesars—and why Augustus used hot nuts to soften the hair on his thighs. Natalie also recounts the original epic story of Homer's The Iliad from memory (complete with magic bra and a very sulky Achilles).

In Series 6, Natalie stands up for Helen of Troy (expect new insights into feathery sex); Penthesilea, Amazon warrior queen, (with a natty line in ankle boots); Eurydice (chased by a sex pest and killed by a snake on her wedding day); and Penelope (lots of suitors, but fortunately an adept weaver).

Natalie also discusses Medusa, beloved sister and mother (but a hairdresser's nightmare); gives us the lowdown on Pandora (she of the box, which turns out to be a jar); tells the story of Jocasta (still spellbindingly shocking today); and asks whether Clytemnestra was the worst wife in Greek mythology (she murdered her husband, but was a good mother).

Guests include Dr Adam Rutherford, Professor Edith Hall, Professor Llewelyn Morgan, Dr Paul Roberts, Anita Anand, and Chris Riddell.

Genres: Audiobook, Mythology, History, Nonfiction, Humor, Greek Mythology, Classics

8 pages, Audible Audio

First published October 6, 2022

About the author

Natalie Haynes, author of THE FURIES (THE AMBER FURY in the UK), is a graduate of Cambridge University and an award-winning comedian, journalist, and broadcaster. She judged the Man Booker Prize in 2013 and was a judge for the final Orange Prize in 2012. Natalie was a regular panelist on BBC2’s Newsnight Review, Radio 4’s Saturday Review, and the long-running arts show, Front Row. She is a guest columnist for the The Independent and The Guardian. Her radio series, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, was first broadcast in March 2014.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite episode: The Iliad, The Odyssey, Pompeii, and Lucretius.

Favorite quotes from Homer: The Iliad:

"Agammemnon, surely the most petulant and annoying hero in the entire Iliad, and that is saying something..."

"This is the beginning of what will turn out to be an 18-book-long sulk. It is the longest strop in all of literature [...] He [Achilles] spends 18 books of this 24-book-long poem not fighting. He lives a completely domestic life, he lives in the camp, he hangs out with his friends, he cooks food, he plays his lyre, he complains to his mother. I have dated that man, he is not a hero."

"Let's be honest, Greek myth, if nothing else, has taught us that Zeus will have sex with a plank of wood."

"Book 17: Menelaus does something useful. Honestly, you can't be more surprised than me."

"There was a huge furore when Madeline Miller published The Song of Achilles because Achilles and Petrochlus were presented by her as lovers. And lots of people, who really should know better, started clutching their pearls, appalled that there might have been such a thing as homosexuality in Ancient Greece. It is really hard to know what to say to them, it's like, definitely don't look at any of those vases cause... phew. [...] All I can say is that when someone collapses face first on the ground and you're worried they'll slit their throat at the death of a person, that sounds like love to me."

[Katie.dorny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, just picked up the first collection from my library audiobook app as well. The way Natalie discusses all the topics and infuses them with such warmth is so underrated in a narrator.

[Bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, hearing both Yhe Illiad and The Odyssey ripped through in less than an hour is reason enough to give this series a chance. Listening the super feminist takedown of all the major female characters in Greek myth is just the bonus.

[Eve H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series! Need more :D

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie Haynes is both compelling informative and addictively hilarious - not descriptors normally associated with the classics. If you’ve never heard her retelling of the Odyssey you’ve never lived 😉

[yun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just as good as series 1-4, if not better. I really vibe with Haynes' sense of humour and the way she breaks down and summarises stories. Highly recommended!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a great continued exploration of the greek mythology after the Stephen Fry trilogy. Its a stand up comedy with classics professors being the guest to revisit these mythology stories in a modern eye. Eg is Pandora’s box actually a jar and what does it mean in terms of how female were perceived at the ancient world? However, if you have not had basic understanding of who is who, and who did what in Greek mythology, you might feel lost as she throw names that you might not have background for.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Natalie Haynes.. this is her radio 4 show about Ancient Greece and Rome. A lot of this show was recorded in covid.

Natalie is so passionate and so funny about her subjects that you cannot help but love and learn when she talks.

I demand more of this series..

#radio4 #Greece #Zeus #Rome

[Midu Hadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick-look at this Book
Natalie takes on mythical characters this time, including the city of Pompeii.

Thoughts on this Book
Even people who have loved and read the heck out of ancient myths will get something out of this book. Besides looooving the openly feminist reinterpretation, for instance, I learned about Penthesilea, the queen of Amazons, who went toe to toe with none other than Achilles! You'll have to read how that went yourself. Ha! Also, what are you waiting for? Listen here FOR FREE

And while I liked every bit of it, her retelling of Illiad's 24 volumes in just a few minutes is my absolutely favorite.

Thoughts on the Series
I read the series in a really fun way--while doing my daily workout. It was difficult, let me tell you, because Ms. Haynes had me in stitches quite often. But it was soooo worth it. Her feminist take on the ancient myths is like the breath of fresh that my workout routine needed! Add to that, the chapters are like half hour long and whoosh away without boring you.

Also Reviewed at:
WP

Review of Book 1 here.

[chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie Haynes can do no wrong as she Haynesplains™ the ancient classics. she's profane, baudy, respectful but not reverential. at some point i will read her, but these podcast conglomerations are excellent, and are great on long night drives when you need your brain to keep working. and it only took me 10 months to listen to the 7.5 hours.

[Carrie Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great set that I enjoyed even better than the first. I love how she mostly focused on the mythological characters this time around.

[ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

equally funny and informative, a must for any fans of greek myth (but also a great way to enter them!). the clytemnestra episode and the final odyssey episodes were my favorites

[Siem Lowis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable comic take on the classics.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

More excellent classical history and humour with Natalie Haynes. I especially loved the episode where she related the plot of The Iliad in less than 30 minutes - amazing and very entertaining!

[Zoltán · Rating 2 out of 5]

What could have been a great follow-up series was trumped by feminism and double standards. Which is a shame as she has great humour and a good collection of details otherwise.

Women neglected? Preposterous!
Amazons killing men? So cool!

Men cheating? Appalled!
Men killed? Gleeful snicker and laughter.

Amazons training all the time? Badass! Go girl!
Spartans training all the time? Appalling hypermasculinity!

Despite being about classics, there are extended sections where they only talk about suffragettes.

Medusa? She's misunderstood and the real victim, not all the people she turned into stone. (Another detour to contemporary art, and a comment toward men, "Be lucky we don't take revenge!"

Except for Pompeii as the city, only female people were included.

So disappointed...

[Karrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I probably mentioned this on the previous volumes, but I love hearing someone geek out about their interest, and Haynes’s enthusiasm is on display.

I enjoyed that this one dealt mostly with myth rather than fiction, I. Assuming this was so that we could talk about a few more women. It I still need to rematch I Claudius. Her retelling of Homer is stellar