---
product_id: 4077299
title: "Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction"
price: "43626CFA"
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reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/4077299-classical-mythology-a-very-short-introduction
store_origin: SN
region: Senegal
---

# Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction

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desertcart.com: Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction: 9780192804761: Morales, Helen: Books

Review: The meaning of myth - Two other entries in this Very Short Introduction series can be seen as companion volumes to the present one. They are Classics, by Mary Beard & John Henderson, and Myth by Robert A. Segal. I would recommend reading those two - in either order - and then this one, although they each stand very well alone. Morales discusses various interpretations of the role of myth in Western culture, its functions and significance. Although she distances herself from works that restrict themselves to narrations and summaries of the myths themselves, she does include a list of Classical deities and their attributes, unapologetically admitting, "I am having my cake and eating it by including this". But the focus throughout is very much on the nature and function of myth rather than its content. The chapter on Freudian psychoanalysis is particularly interesting. She writes very well, often with a light touch and with frequent popular culture references. The book concludes with a useful 5-page Timeline - from 800 BC, "Early Greece" to 2007, the publication of this book - a comprehensive Reference section, and a very useful Further Reading section. If you want an understanding of myth, how it evolves and how it continues to be relevant, you should read this book. [PeterReeve]
Review: Changed My Idea of What Mythology Is - I read this book prior to beginning my studies as a Classics major since I did not have any real grounding in classical myth. I originally thought this book would relate what the various myths were and how they were important. Thankfully, this book helped reshape my idea of what "myth" was and is while offering helpful interpretive keys to better appreciate and contextualize Greek mythology. While I do not suggest someone buy this if they want to read a summary of every Greek myth, I would suggest anyone purchase this if they are interested in *what* mythology is and *how* the Greeks used it to help explain their world to themselves.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #736,803 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #388 in Ancient & Classical Literary Criticism (Books) #1,110 in Literature #1,136 in Folklore & Mythology Studies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (199) |
| Dimensions  | 6.7 x 0.37 x 4.44 inches |
| Edition  | 1st |
| ISBN-10  | 0192804766 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0192804761 |
| Item Weight  | 2.31 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 160 pages |
| Publication date  | November 9, 2007 |
| Publisher  | Oxford University Press |

## Images

![Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91-ngKGNd6L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The meaning of myth
*by P***E on November 24, 2010*

Two other entries in this Very Short Introduction series can be seen as companion volumes to the present one. They are Classics, by Mary Beard & John Henderson, and Myth by Robert A. Segal. I would recommend reading those two - in either order - and then this one, although they each stand very well alone. Morales discusses various interpretations of the role of myth in Western culture, its functions and significance. Although she distances herself from works that restrict themselves to narrations and summaries of the myths themselves, she does include a list of Classical deities and their attributes, unapologetically admitting, "I am having my cake and eating it by including this". But the focus throughout is very much on the nature and function of myth rather than its content. The chapter on Freudian psychoanalysis is particularly interesting. She writes very well, often with a light touch and with frequent popular culture references. The book concludes with a useful 5-page Timeline - from 800 BC, "Early Greece" to 2007, the publication of this book - a comprehensive Reference section, and a very useful Further Reading section. If you want an understanding of myth, how it evolves and how it continues to be relevant, you should read this book. [PeterReeve]

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Changed My Idea of What Mythology Is
*by S***R on January 27, 2018*

I read this book prior to beginning my studies as a Classics major since I did not have any real grounding in classical myth. I originally thought this book would relate what the various myths were and how they were important. Thankfully, this book helped reshape my idea of what "myth" was and is while offering helpful interpretive keys to better appreciate and contextualize Greek mythology. While I do not suggest someone buy this if they want to read a summary of every Greek myth, I would suggest anyone purchase this if they are interested in *what* mythology is and *how* the Greeks used it to help explain their world to themselves.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Morales does an excellent job pointing out the modern contexts of interpretive stances ...
*by B***E on March 27, 2015*

When people think of mythology, especially Greek mythology, they tend to imagine old stories such as the Iliad and Odyssey or the stories of heroes as told in Ovid. Seen as such, the myths become reduced to old stories that hold little to no meaning in our current society beyond an entertaining film or book. In reading Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction, I realized how much modern context influences interpretations of mythology and how much meaning modern society can still glean from Greek mythology. Morales does an excellent job pointing out the modern contexts of interpretive stances such as psychoanalysis and the use of Europa in EU propaganda. This books does an excellent job of portraying multiple interpretive stances from which mythology can be viewed. She presents an interesting definition of mythology, where the lore and ideology are interconnected, yet distinct. I enjoyed reading about the ways in which our modern society has adopted mythology into its foundation and famous icons, such as Prometheus at the Rockefeller Center. While Morales does give some good insight and enough background on the myths she discusses, I would have enjoyed a broader discussion of other mythological themes as well. Mythology is riddled with topics such as the effects of war and the virtues of women versus misogyny. It also would have been nice if she had given more examples and counter-examples of the points that she brings up in order to show the diversity of the mythology that exists even with the set of Greek mythology. Overall, this is an exceptional book for someone who is looking for a book on mythology, but wants to know about the interpretations of the myths instead of just the stories.

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*Last updated: 2026-03-07*