I found a link connecting many of the modern retellings a link that will be obvious if youve read margaret atwoods penelopiad or madeline millers circe. Journey into a world of gods, goddesses, heroes, extraordinary creatures, and fantastic monsters with this beautifully illustrated introduction to ancient greek mythology for kids. This stunning book features classical artwork inspired by the myths, as well. This amazing book is my latest read and it was a full five stars from start to end. Read your way through this list of 162 young adult books that are all retellings or reimaginings of popular classic literature, myths, fairy tales and shakespearean plays. Im teaching a class on myths and legends and would like to include activities that involve reading the original myth and then reading a more moderncontemporary short story or poem that rethinks or rewrites the myth so that students can compare. Part of the canongate myths series, this book retells the japanese creation story of izanami and izanaki. Ive read a song of achilles, circe, stephen frys mythos and neil gaimans norse mythology absolutely loved them all, easy to understand and beautifully written retellings of greeknorse myths. Retellings brim with humor and emotion and offer rich cultural context celebrating the thrills, grandeur, and unabashed fun of the greek myths, mythos breathes life into ancient talesfrom pandoras box to prometheuss fire. I wanted more than an encyclopedic guide to these myths, a book like this one with lively and entertaining stories, retellings of the myths in much shorter refreshers. The book is as comprehensive as you could wish for in a book of this sort, and gives accounts of the personalities of the gods and most of the heroes, as well as retellings of most of the major myths themselves. Talented author rick riordin writes fantastic books for kids based on classic mythology. But what he accomplishes is simply the retelling of these myths for modern readers in contemporary language while remaining faithful to the original sources. The three myths featured on this list all involve kidnappings.
The book includes a helpful glossary, lists of greek and roman gods, and suggestions for further reading. The best books on greek myths, as recommended by author lucy coats. Like many of the other series, this protagonist isnt the persephone, but a person from modern times thrust into a similar role. Skin retells the story of jason and medea possibly my favorite greek myth. Classicist freeman julius caesar tries to answer these questions by retelling familiar greek and roman myths so we can hear the challenging portions that are often glossed over. Quicksilver by stephanie spinner halfblood by jennifer l.
Recently, i have read three ya novels that incorporate the myth of persephone and hades in. Any suggestions for good short stories based on myths that are also appropriate for 78th graders. Oct 14, 2014 top ten retellings of greek myths and legends october 14, 2014 by orem public library in top 10 tuesday. Buy this book did zeus use his immense power solely for good. Jul 29, 2016 if you havent read the daughters of zeus series yet, you should start with persephone, a modern day, young adult retelling of the classic greek myth. Rereading classical mythology is for me an exercise in surprise and recognition mixed together. Top ten retellings of greek myths and legends october 14, 2014 by orem public library in top 10 tuesday. Myths, legends, and sacred stories by philip wilkinson.
If you havent already read the iliad, the odyssey, and hesiods theogony, those. While there is no substitute for hesiod, homer, ovid, or virgil, freemans lively if unoriginal retellings offer a useful introduction to these enduring stories. Over the course of the last four decades, scores of retellings of the greek myths, written in english, have been published for young readers. Dec 11, 2005 a short history of myth by karen armstrong. An epic chart of 162 young adult retellings epic reads. Im teaching a class on myths and legends and would like to include activities that involve reading the original myth and then reading a more modern contemporary short story or poem that rethinks or rewrites the myth so that students can compare. Aug 06, 2019 i realise this was heavily focused on greek mythology and im sorry about that, but those were the myths i grew up on and obsessed over as a wee gay kid. This gorgeous volume invites you to explore a captivating world with the brilliant storyteller stephen fry as your. Myths, legends, and sacred stories a childrens encyclopedia. Its the breathtaking beauty of the language that carries this book. Ancient greek mythology book for adults, modern telling of classical greek myths bookmythos. Ancient greek mythology book for adults, modern telling of classical greek myths book mythos is a modern collection of greek myths, stylishly re.
The myth of penelope and odysseus by margaret atwood. Mythos is a modern collection of greek myths, stylishly retold by legendary writer, actor, and comedian stephen fry. Ashton weaves in several myths in a modern day almost retelling. Book recommendations greek mythology two book thieves. Orpheus and eurydice arrows by melissa gorzelanszyk. A modern day story where the gods are living amongst us. Ancient greek mythology book for adults, modern telling of classical greek myths book hardcover august 27, 2019. With exciting stories, illustrated with beautiful pictures and easytounderstand text, it takes you back through the ages to the scenes of the stories. From sources scattered throughout ancient literature graves used a novelists skill to weave a. Book info title persephone series daughters of zeus book by kaitlin bevis genreya paranormal blurb th. Greek and roman myths so we can hear the challenging portions that are often glossed.
Apr 15, 2015 ya authors know that the gods provide plenty of material for some juicy stories, and these retellings are funny, dark, and sexy, covering everything from gorgons to muses to the gods themselves, with a few mythical heroes thrown in for variety. Retellings brim with humor and emotion and offer rich cultural context celebrating the. Psyche was kidnapped by cupid to be his wife, persephone was kidnapped by hades to be his wife, and helen was kidnapped by paris to be his wife. Ya authors know that the gods provide plenty of material for some juicy stories, and these retellings are funny, dark, and sexy, covering everything from gorgons to muses to the gods themselves, with a few mythical heroes thrown in for variety. And those are most popular when it comes to retellings if you know of any lgbt retellings of myths other than greekroman ones, let me know. One setting is conspicuously absent from this list.
The corpus is wide ranging, encompassing story collections and anthologies, extended narratives for. Best young adult persephone and hades retellings kaitlin. Imagine coming across a book that isnt just about greek mythology but is also written by one of your favourite people. I read two particular books, which i havent chosen because i think for modern readers theyre a bit too bowdlerised and preachy. Myths, legends, and sacred stories is a childrens book that invites you to explore all the we. Ive read a song of achilles, circe, stephen frys mythos and neil gaimans norse mythology absolutely loved them all, easy to understand and beautifully written retellings of greek norse myths. For those already familiar with bulfinch, the next book to pick up is timothy gantz early greek myths, although this is a 2volume reference work, rather than a book to read. Along the way, countless lavish illustrations help to bring the stories and characters to life.
If you havent already read the iliad, the odyssey, and hesiods theogony, those are essentials for greek mythology. His novels inspired by greek, roman, and norse mythology offer a contemporary spin on these timeless stories. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Auden, yeats, wislawa szymborska, and rilke just to name a few. A novel of jason and the argonauts by emily hauser.
Aphrodite is a phonesex operator and artemis is a professional dogwalker. Top ten retellings of greek myths and legends just browsing. This years womens prize for fiction shortlist contains two books which reimagine the stories of women from greek myths. Even though the worship died out more than 16 centuries ago, the stories of the greek gods, goddesses, and heroes remain a fixed part of western culture. Whats new in young adult novels persephonehades retellings.
Plus, there are swoonworthy godly characters, aplenty. From acclaimed writer and scholar philip freeman, a contemporary retelli. A retelling of the trojan war, but one without honour. Bringing oncesilenced voices to the fore and reimagining stories for presentday audiences, these modern retellings of the classics are not to be missed. Retellinghadesfan girlprince charmingfiction booksbook. Persephone by kaitlin bevis is a wonderful twist on the story of hades and persephone. Ever since i read edith hamiltons mythology in middle school, ive loved classic myths and legends. Perfect for children aged 7 to 9, this collection contains enthralling new retellings of favorite myths as well as some. With the propensity to have such an impact on modern readers, retellings of the classics have surged in popularity in recent years, driving authors from margaret atwood to val mcdermid to participate in projects to bring classics from shakespeare and jane austen to new audiences. The daughters of zeus series retells classic greek myths with a modern twist.
Read on for our edit of some of the best retellings of greek mythology that. From the creation out of chaos and the birth of olympians to the labours of hercules, the trojan war and odysseuss return, robert graves superb retelling of the greek myths now published for the first time in a single volume in paperback has long been acclaimed as the definitive version. Contemporary retellings of myths and legends district of. I realise this was heavily focused on greek mythology and im sorry about that, but those were the myths i grew up on and obsessed over as a wee gay kid. Circe by madeline miller, the penelopiad by margaret atwood, the children of jocasta by natalie haynes, hous. Greek myth retellings i want to read ellesbellesnotebook. A modern retelling of greek and roman myths philip freeman on. Alice in wonderland all our pretty songs by sarah mccarry.
In modern times, scholarly analysis of these texts as a site of reception is relatively rare. Nov 30, 2019 her novel shows how an ancient story can have resonance in the modern world, without judging that story or trying to improve or correct it. Over the course of the last four decades, scores of retellings of the greek myths, written in english. Classic connections, one of my favorite units in my book, involves modern young adult authors retelling a classic story in a modern setting or using elements of a classic in a modern tale. From lightningwielding zeus, the supreme greek god, to protective hathor, the egyptian goddess of love heroes, gods, and monsters are brought to life in these retellings of myths from around the world. Jul 27, 2017 ever since i read edith hamiltons mythology in middle school, ive loved classic myths and legends. Elements of greek mythology appear many times in culture, including pop culture. Awareness that hellenic and roman mythology differ one of the first things you might notice when you read a range of ancient texts is that myths are not.
I delved in head first into the book and found mysel. Mar 14, 2019 50 mustread classical mythology retellings sarah ullery mar 14, 2019 while compiling this list of 50 classical mythology retellings, i found a link connecting many of the modern retellings a link that will be obvious if youve read margaret atwoods penelopiad or madeline millers circe. If you just cant get enough of feminist greek myth retellings like. Ancient greek mythology book for adults, modern telling of classical greek myths book at. Best young adult persephone and hades retellings kaitlin bevis. Since the title explains the purpose of this piece, ill jump right in with my four personal favorite elements in contemporary novels that revisit ancient hellenic mythology. Fran rosss hero, who shares her name with the books title, is on a quest to.
Heres our edit of the best modern retellings of classic. Youll fall head over heels for these 50 classical myth retellings. Presenting ya retellings an epic infographic brought to you by epic reads. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. In this collection, nina kossman compiled poetry from the twentieth century that retold classic myths from around the world. Popular greek mythology retellings books goodreads. The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for. From acclaimed writer and scholar philip freeman, a contemporary retelling of classic greek and roman mythology. Greek myths i picked up this book because the attractive cover intrigued me. Fry transforms the adventures of zeus and the olympians into emotionally resonant and deeply funny stories, without losing any of their original wonder. Every single greek myth is in this book, is that right. The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for smart. May 09, 2019 greek myth retellings are having a serious moment, so here are six of our favourite books inspired by greek mythology. Hercules, oedipus, argonauts, troy, mycenae, odysseus, aeneas and the myths surrounding rome from romulus and remus to lucretia.
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