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@Aegean_Native9 ай бұрын
As a greek guy, i really like people taking interest in our mythology, i just wish more people knew the difference between greek mythology and greco-roman mythology, it is not just the names that change, its also some key events that define the ethics of entire eras
@christiek2459 ай бұрын
Same
@safaiaryu129 ай бұрын
Agreed!!! I got my degree in Classical Studies and I have to explain this to people regularly. There are a LOT of similarities between Greek and Roman mythology to be sure, but there are some fundamental differences stemming from the different cultural attitudes between the Greeks and Romans. Therefore, you can't REALLY use the gods' names interchangeably! It's super interesting.
@maryseptihet9 ай бұрын
same with norse too !
@a.morphous667 ай бұрын
What I'm hearing is, don't lean on Ovid.
@4everseekingwisdom6904 ай бұрын
As I said in the main comments. If people only knew what was hidden in those myths . They are highly complex symbolic allegories that contain the entirety of the ancient mystery tradition..
@PokhrajRoy.9 ай бұрын
In our case, we went on a family trip to Egypt and my father insisted we brush up on Ancient Egypt before leaving and honestly, it helped a little. Please nerd out before vacations. It’s a nice experience.
@amoreamouramor9 ай бұрын
which books did you read that you recommend?
@PokhrajRoy.9 ай бұрын
@@amoreamouramor Oh, nothing too academic. Just a general encyclopaedia on Ancient History by Parragon.
@safiyeserdengecti74879 ай бұрын
I read Penelopiad for my English degree at contemporary novel course, like 10 years ago, and that was one of my fav books that term. I remember professor tellin us that the books narration is kind of a deconstruction of deconstruction. While Penelope's perspective deconstructs the discourse of the classic myth of Odyssey, the chorus women maids voice deconstructs Penelope's.
@estherbutton63999 ай бұрын
Margaret Atwood is always great at taking this sort of approach - she seems very fascinated with the way stories are constructed and in turn many of her books/narrators draw attention to their own construction (e.g. Offred in the Handmaid's Tale)
@safaiaryu129 ай бұрын
Oh, that's really interesting... I need to read this!!
@safiyeserdengecti74879 ай бұрын
@@estherbutton6399 yeah that seems to be a repeating pattern, and she does it quite well 👀👌
@lazedaisies9 ай бұрын
JACK RESPECTFULLY... STOP TRYING TO ADD MORE BOOKS INTO MY TBR 😭 but also im in my greek myth era so you dropping this video at this time makes me incredibly happy aaaahhhh
@hobbyjournals9 ай бұрын
I would love to see you rank mythology retellings!! With so many out there it’s hard to know which ones to prioritize
@silvervixen0079 ай бұрын
My absolute fav genre! Growing up I love Greek Mythology. I am glad more people love these kind of stories and more books are getting published!
@rynb48689 ай бұрын
For anyone seeking an incredible retelling: Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis is so powerful. I read it 5 years ago, immediately gave it to a friend to read, it wasn't returned and im STILL thinking about that story. I gotta find another copy ...
9 ай бұрын
Thanks for the recommendation! I put it on my tbr 😊
@celine227129 ай бұрын
“Silence of the girls” is another one about the women of the Iliad that I’ve been meaning to get to!
@bookoffholicbookwart59459 ай бұрын
Leave it to Jack to take a sliver of thought and turn it into a full-fledged analysis . I absolutely love it and am totally here for it.
@chiloduba9 ай бұрын
this makes my 1st year Classics student heart so happy
@wehojm73209 ай бұрын
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the 3 books. I too was fascinated with Greek mythology in school and how people of that age interpreted the world around them through the various gods they created.
@hama476709 ай бұрын
i think the kind of roman equivalent to these books is called lavinia by ursula k leguin because it’s about lavinia - the woman that aeneas marries after leaving troy and settling in italy. in the aeneid she had no lines, but leguin fleshes out that character and extrapolates the story so well. it is probably one of my favorite books. also a good short story collection of feminist retelling of greco-roman myth is wake, siren: ovid resung by nina maclaughlin
@constantineholmes9 ай бұрын
I am of Greek descent. I have read Classics at university, so I have read some of the myths in the original Greek and Latin. I love the retellings. More TBR on my list now! I can't get enough of your amazing youtube channels!
@safaiaryu129 ай бұрын
Yessss me too! I'm American, but I got my degree in Classical Studies. I love checking out different retellings! People always seem surprised by that, because they expect me to get mad at "inaccuracies," but I think "inaccuracy" is a fraught subject and retellings have value regardless, since they get people interested in the source material, which is SO important to Western culture!!
@katiemarie73299 ай бұрын
Love this! Feels like an English essay come to life and hurray for these Penelope retellings! Would love to see more books that are basically English essays like this 🥰🥰🥰
@xanthippikipou25319 ай бұрын
Kisses from Greece, I am teaching Odyssey at the first year of Junior high schook and Iliad at the second year and they love it, thanks for the suggestions that will give us another point of view❤❤
@oliwia83329 ай бұрын
greek mythology retelling books are the reason I got back into reading I just fell in love with them and they make me want to reread the classics I once read but feel like I didn’t get to appreciate them enough
@amymerrill57589 ай бұрын
I haven't read these books, however, I did read Circe. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for the video.
@julietaverdejo5109 ай бұрын
Omg this just reminded me of a book called Loop by Brenda Lozano. Its a story from the perspective of a woman waiting for her boyfriend return from his trip to Spain. Its inspired by The Odyssey, however, it draws heavy influence of Latin American literature. One of the best pieces of work I have read this year.
@didntmeantoeatbakingsoda9 ай бұрын
the huge full bookshelf behind jack rly is the perfect setting for these videos
@inkano15759 ай бұрын
I haven't read these books yet, but I was already thinking about picking up Ithaca - mostly because 'The first fifteen lives of Harry August' and 'The sudden appearance of hope' by Claire North were just exceptionally good! Highly recommend those :)
@annamaria94h9 ай бұрын
As a Greek girl it makes me so happy that you’re interested in Greek mythology and since this trend has been going around I’ve started appreciating it much more too(because studying anything for exams makes it not that great ) Also you’ve made reading the book while being in Ithaca (we call it ithace btw) THE goal !!❤
@RB536379 ай бұрын
I had this issue with Medusa, where I read Jessie Burtons version which was *chefs kiss* so good and so gorgeous in such a compact book. Then I realised that Natalie Hayne’s Stone Blind exists, and I’m so torn on whether to read it because although I love the story of Medusa I don’t want to blur together my recollections of each piece of work :’)
@aishwaryarohatgi84069 ай бұрын
To have watched Jack with so many different backgrounds and the seeing the background in the videos has kinda finally hit me dammm Jack you are a book tuber now (Finally 😂)
@kennbeans9 ай бұрын
love love love when you talk about Greek mythology, you seem so happy 🫶🏻
@slayqueen-zh2cv9 ай бұрын
the background is SLAYING !!!
@laurenschenck53559 ай бұрын
YOU ROCK JACK! I appreciate you so much most sweetest and kindest and amazing inspiring person 😊
@ada_elizabeth9 ай бұрын
I take Latin in school and we study Greek and Roman mythology, so I always enjoy reading mythological retellings and seeing how different authors interpret and work with the stories and how it compares to what I've learned in school.
@sonofdarkness46969 ай бұрын
I will forever encourage friends to read Natalie Haynes. Her work is always so satisfying to read!!
@circleofleaves26769 ай бұрын
Have you read Weight by Jeanette Winterson? It's a retelling of Atlas and Heracles. It's from the same series that gave us Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad. It's so good. It's also short, about 150 pages. In typical Winterson style, it's insightful, challenging, witty, quirky.
@rayplaysguitar42579 ай бұрын
When Jack posts, you already know it’s a good day
@hollylawrensonevans59607 ай бұрын
ooo adding Ithaca and The Penelopiad to my tbr, these sound like refreshing reads from a genre I'm a little bit burnt out by atm
@penelopejohnson39009 ай бұрын
I would definitely recommend Emily Wilson's translation of the Odyssey...also her piece in the New Yorker about women in the Odyssey, she has a very interesting perspective!
@PokhrajRoy.9 ай бұрын
4:26 Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has done this with Draupadi (The Palace of Illusions) and Sita (The Forest of Enchantments).
@Chloe-yd9qz9 ай бұрын
I study classics at uni! I think classical reception (looking at classics in today's world) is such a fascinating field, especially when it comes to mythical retelling- how do they each handle the myth and why! Penelope as a character is very interesting. You mentioned hera too - although I think she is quite misunderstood as a character!
@summerwoodward89679 ай бұрын
kinda scary how I almost bought all three of these and was wondering which one to read and how they compared and the next day Jack dropped this...stop reading my mind and my TBR pls...
@safaiaryu129 ай бұрын
A retelling of The Odyssey that I HAVE TO recommend - I just discovered it a couple days ago - is EPIC: The Musical. It's in progress, only the first 10 songs are out, but it's INCREDIBLE. The music is great, the singers are great, and the retelling is super interesting!! Another recommendation (an oldie but a goodie) is O Brother, Where Art Thou? I didn't realize it was The Odyssey the first time I watched it. After reading The Odyssey and discovering the connection, I watched it again and it's SO well done. I have very mixed feelings about Greek mythological retellings right now, because I actually did my bachelor's degree capstone project on exactly that... long before this was a popular thing!! So on the one hand, this is TOTALLY up my alley. I LOVE reading different translations and retellings to see where they differ and what's most effective. In my capstone, I argued for the value of retellings, regardless of "accuracy", because it gets people interested in the source material. And we cannot deny the influence that ancient Greek culture has on our modern Western culture, so I think it's really important for people to be aware of the origins of big parts of our culture. "Accuracy" is such a fraught term, too, because there's a big debate between being true to the source material word-for-word, versus making changes that make plot points make more sense to modern readers... which I think can sometimes get the source material's points across better!! For example, I came up with the idea of retelling Sophocles' Antigone as like a 1920s Italian-American mafia story, to better get across how EXTREMELY important loyalty to your "family" is, along with following the orders of the head of your family... thus the major conflict! Plus the way that people of the 1920s/Jazz Age were ignoring the rot in their society and the very real dangers of doing that - the following Great Depression in America, versus the miasma in Thebes. So all very different from the original play, but I hoped the changes would get the ideas at the heart of Antigone across better to modern Western audiences!! Why I'm upset about this sudden popularity is that I did that capstone with the intention of actually writing and publishing my own retelling. If I had actually followed through, I could have published my retelling at the very start of this surge in interest. And maybe I could have done well by that. Tragic. Curse you, chronic illness!!
@not_even_mikage9 ай бұрын
hi jack! i love your videos andyour reccomendations.. I am a big fan of mythology itself and i woukd like to thank you for all the greek mythology books that talked about. however it would be nice to see you dive into hindu mythology as well. I am an Indian and I have read my fair share of hindu mythology books and here are two of them that think you would enjoy:- 1) Jaya by Devdutt Pattanaik. This book is like a guide book for people who want to dive into hindu mythoogy. The writing is clean and straight forward and it explains every story from level zero. It talks about the epic war of Mahabharat. And i really adore this book 2) Draupadi: The Sati Series III by Koral Dasgupta. this is a sort of retelling of Mahabharata through the eyes of Draupadi who was the sole wife of the Pandav brothers who were later victorious in the war. It talks a lot of her early life and moral ambiguities which make this interesting I hope you will take a look at these. And again I loved this video as well
@Mungoteazer115819 ай бұрын
Oh this is my topic! I am always interested in these books. I read Circe, Ariadne, Elektra and Daughters of Sparta. I loved them all, except Elektra, which was not as good as the others. You could do that video with Clytemnestra, too. Daughters of Sparta and Clytemnestra and also Elektra all have her as a main figure. All the books you have read in this video interest me, too.
@kat18799 ай бұрын
My two (three really bc one of them is a duology) favorite books that retell myths are the King Must Die which is a retelling of Theseus and Nobody's Princess/Nobody's Prize which centers on Helen of Troy before she became Helen of Troy...when she was Helen of Sparta. They were AMAZING I absolutely adore both of them
@allgrapesnowrath9 ай бұрын
So glad The Penelopiad is here! We just covered it in class as well, so good!!
@anneshandy8369 ай бұрын
I would love more videos on greek mythology ❤️
@PokhrajRoy.9 ай бұрын
This video was not a question of if but when. Also, it’s really interesting to see this era of Greek Myth retellings.
@ChaosLoveHub9 ай бұрын
Yeah, this is our Renaissance basically 😂
@PokhrajRoy.9 ай бұрын
@@ChaosLoveHub Hmmm interesting
@constantineholmes9 ай бұрын
JACK, YOU'RE AWESOME! I love Greek mythology!
@neemagatumbu78509 ай бұрын
Out of the ones you mentioned (not covered) I've only read Circe and I think that it's a beautiful retelling of the original story. I am not sure I'd want to read another version of the same story, but rather would want to read more retellings of other stories in greek mythology ◡̈
@august18379 ай бұрын
The only one of these I’ve read is a thousand ships and I found it a little disappointing. It just felt too straight forward of a retelling. It promised to tell the untold stories of the women but we didn’t get much more than what we already get from the myths. Natalie Haynes has a nonfiction book called pandora’s jar which I really enjoyed. It’s an analysis of ten women from Greek mythology and how their stories changed over time and through all the different versions and adaptations.
@mercikerek9 ай бұрын
My day is now significantly better, thank you Jack
@laurenschenck53559 ай бұрын
Love your videos so much Jack ❤
@laurenschenck53559 ай бұрын
I love reading Greek mythology so much ❤
@cubitum-eamus9 ай бұрын
all these books were on my TBR so this video is truly a godsend
@kristinestocker9 ай бұрын
Try Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis. It is a retelling of Cupid and Psyche. One of my favorite books.
@LynnetteReads9 ай бұрын
I have A Thousand Ships on my tbr because I enjoyed Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. It was a couple of years ago when I read it but I am sure it references Penelope in there as well though it is mainly about Ariadne
@laurenschenck53559 ай бұрын
A thousands ships and Ithaca are my favorite books so beautiful written and details and amazing beautiful ❤
@dita.miramar6 ай бұрын
cant believe i came across this video having also gotten obsessed with penelope's myth in summer of 2023!! i read Ithaca (and the sequel) and the Penelopiad and loved them both HOWEVER why does Hera shout 'Oy!' in Ithaca like, she's not British 😭😭😭😭 instantly pulled me out of the atmosphere like why did the editors approve that....
@kr89089 ай бұрын
I recently read 'Girl, Goddess, Queen', retelling of Hades/Persephone story. It had so much potential, wasted by too much bickering lines between hades and persephone.
@CooksBooks9 ай бұрын
Coincidentally just finished reading the Iliad and the Odyssey specifically so I could read Ithaca (I love Claire North). Whilst I do understand what you are getting at w.r.t the inconsistent narration, I really think it works. Hera narrating the entire novel but sometimes being the classic ‘objective’ omniscient narrator and other times being an active participant with opinions and agency for me highlights the ways in which Gods work in Greek mythology (particularly in the Iliad and Odyssey). Oftentimes the Gods are simply observers from above, watching with passing interest, if and when they can be bothered to watch at all. Greek gods would normally only get involved in events that were deemed to be significantly consequential or where they have a vested interest in the outcome. To me this is what the narrative voice is trying to accomplish. Hera is mostly a passive observer, often flitting between conversations trying to get the gist of what is going on and then flitting away to someone else. Hera as the narrator really becomes present when the events of the novel become directly tied to something that Hera is invested in, namely her wish for Queens to still rule in Greece, or otherwise has strong opinions on. It’s similar to how the narrators for the Iliad and the Odyssey are, ostensibly, the muses talking through the bard. The Gods are both invoked as being objective observers “you know this story is true because it is not me some guy telling you, but it is coming from the gods through me” even though the Iliad and Odyssey quite clearly show Gods being capable of having agency and opinions. For me the tension of the narrative voice of Ithaca, is in some sense an unspoken tension within Greek mythology itself. That’s why it works for me at least.
@Pazoo_underscore9 ай бұрын
Love me some Greek myths. Hope you talk about Natalie Haynes she is so great
@LunabirdBookclub9 ай бұрын
I really want to go visit Ithaca now!
@AbsurdExistentialist9 ай бұрын
I would have sworn this was a main channel video lol Gotta read me some Natalie Haynes, it seems!
@Hippolyta.9 ай бұрын
I read The Penelopiad for an independent study in high school and it was really my first foray into (feminist) Greek myth retellings/reimaginings. Recently, Girl Goddess Queen (a completely good time) has reignited my love and interest for this genre.
@youseemnormal9 ай бұрын
Your Ithaca comment. Literally same 😂 I knew what you were going to say before you said it!
@Lennyk079 ай бұрын
Omg new jack video STOP EVERYTHING!!!
@jennym1279 ай бұрын
My dumb American mind just went. "Yeah, Ithaca is a place, it's in NY and it's cold as F&$!". I've literally never heard of any other place with this name and have never even heard of this myth. lol. New Facts!
@jeffreyedwards18119 ай бұрын
Jack, there is a town called Ithaca in the finger lakes region of upstate New York. It is the home of ivy league school, Cornell University. It's a lovely small big town. FYI
@archerkane9 ай бұрын
actually you know, have u heard about this musical called Epic? its abt odysseus and dawg its SO brilliant!!
@rowanart48109 ай бұрын
Jack have you read any of Emily St. John Mandel's novels? They're beautiful standalone books but have certain characters and themes that come back in the other books. The Glass Hotel, Station Eleven and The Sea of Tranquility espectially are so good (they are the only three ive read). A Multiverse of Mandel video would go SO hard!!!!
@circleofleaves26769 ай бұрын
I really liked Station Eleven and The Sea of Tranquility. I haven't read The Glass Hotel yet.
@ajade00179 ай бұрын
Currently obsessed with the Odyssey, Epic the Musical was already making my obsession worse and now I have more to be obsessed with 😂
@na19599 ай бұрын
Man, I wish epic makes it to Broadway and becomes like... Hamilton big. The creator is sooo talented, he totally deserves this.
@dace88289 ай бұрын
5:28 me trying to understand whether Jack said handmaids or hanged maids
@o0pusteblume0o9 ай бұрын
Your background though 😍
@4everseekingwisdom6904 ай бұрын
If you only knew what was hidden in those myths you'd never read a retelling for fear a crucial element might be lost.. the entire ancient mystery tradition is hidden within those myths
@LavenderLydia9 ай бұрын
I would enjoy this with fairy tale retellings
@Pettifogger369 ай бұрын
There it is. That’s the camera angle 👍🏽💯
@Rebecca-fd4cj9 ай бұрын
Just when I was about to write an article on recommendations of books that are mythological retellings, this video was posted haha
@gabrielladidjurgeit56229 ай бұрын
Just named my new baby Penélope! I need to read these books now
@whatsgiureading5 ай бұрын
A friend and I are on a constant debate concerning the differences between The Song of Achilles and The Silence of the Girls, both retellings of Homer’s Iliad. One is written from the point of view of Achilles’ alter ego/close friend/lover/we don’t really know, Patroclus. The other is written from the point of view of one of Achilles’ slaves, in the book his sex slave, Briseis. TSOA focuses on Achilles’ and Patroclus’ love story, whilst TSOTG is about women’s lives on the greek camp during the Trojan War. Both are fascinating and incredibly well-written, but they differ in so many aspects (i.g., in TSOA, Achilles doesn’t have sex with Briseis at all, as he is in love with Patroclus). We are now on a quest to discover which of those two retellings is the closest to the actual Iliad, and also to the myths themselves. If anyone knows more about this, we are all ears. But also, in general, it’s super interesting to see how one story can be told in many different ways!!
@asahdo9 ай бұрын
How is Jack’s skin sooo good though?
@emmaalexwatson9 ай бұрын
jack in light of the percy jackson series being released in december maybe some percy jackson content???? I'm requesting this please some pjo content
@Queenjadegemforever9 ай бұрын
STOP,, BC I DID THIS EXACT SAME THING TOO 😭😭 but it was all about the women in the trojan war
@nicola.p9 ай бұрын
If you love the Greek myth retellings you will probably like The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper, it follows a slave prostitute and her life in Pompei (fiction), it is probably my all time favourite trilogy.
@jennycartledge99705 ай бұрын
Jack: I didn't know Ithaca was a real place Me: 😱🤯
@courtney17449 ай бұрын
Favourite Greek mythology /recommendations?
@archerkane9 ай бұрын
no ur so valid for thinking ithaca wasnt real because i really thought it was just a common setting too
@ghostrunfree9 ай бұрын
What great timing, Jack! My eyes are currently still very much burning 10 HOURS after the most excruciating, soul-tiring, tear-WASTING reading experience I’ve ever had in my lifetime. Aka, Thank you for recommending The Song of Achilles indirectly to me!!!😀😀😆😆😆😆🤪
@ghostrunfree9 ай бұрын
Best book I’ve ever read, though😁 (as I, too, LOVE medias that make me cry. But i did feel like it went a lil overboard with this one. I didn’t stop crying for hours and I was….. literally SCREAMING sobbing)
@erinsbooks9 ай бұрын
I've read most of Margret Atwood's books including that that one.
@Rachel-qj8kd9 ай бұрын
I wrote an essay about different eras' perceptions/portrayals of Penelope and what they said about that era's ideas of the perfect wife. I'd argue that Penelope isn't one dimensional in the Odyssey but that's also my 21st century feminism and tendency to read more into women from literature speaking. I mean, as a young queer woman, you're better served by doing that, no?!
@PokhrajRoy.9 ай бұрын
0:38 I don’t think it was a himbo moment. It was a British Tourist Moment. P.S. Ithaca is also a name of a place in the US East Coast, if I’m not wrong.
@bonniehickey99789 ай бұрын
Yes. There’s a city (and university) called Ithaca in NY.
@katewillread15099 ай бұрын
Penelope’s POV in A Thousand Ships made me so mad as it was just her reiterating the Odyssey and I was so disappointed- was expecting so much more. Agree with you that hers was the weakest.
@miacaven6 ай бұрын
as a greek the beginning of this video hurt x
@truefairytale1649 ай бұрын
Could you please review some Indian literature such as the 5000 year old epic Mahabharata or romantic Chandrakanta ........ World definitely needs to know about the hidden world of India literature...
@sarah-rb1tt9 ай бұрын
can we talk about how beautiful jack's skin is ? sir, drop your skincare routine
@frankr.9 ай бұрын
i'm here for that glowing, gorgeous skin
@angrypersoninthecomments30509 ай бұрын
I think all these Greek retellings are popping up now, cuz all the people who read Percy Jackson as kids are now adults. Like it might be a reach, but like that’s such a coincidence
@ayeshaali-yn4sk9 ай бұрын
Ya skin looks good Jack
@arya05539 ай бұрын
Jack, hence you are a big greek mythology fan, I guess you must‘ve loved the Percy Jackson books as a teenager? 😍
@PrincessAma9 ай бұрын
omg i love greek mythology ❤
@margueritemitchell18299 ай бұрын
What waa...Ithaca!!! ❤ hello from British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦🖐👍❤😎✔🦖🚐🌳🎪🎠🐾🏞🌲🌍
@margueritemitchell18299 ай бұрын
❤local yarn shoppe here...Penelope's
@NikoN-xw6xy9 ай бұрын
Greek retellings and myths will always be a part of western culture so I’m not surprised that Greek myths are being retold again. Still I’ll enjoy the new perspectives and stories that are coming out about them ❤
@anyaforger75538 ай бұрын
0:39 us moment jack
@GirthOverLength9 ай бұрын
Anyone have any good philosophy book recommendations??
@marenhumblebee27369 ай бұрын
The bookshelf looks good, but it's still not properly aligned 🥺
@literamars9 ай бұрын
I have a theory a lot of us who grew up reading percy jackson are now reading these greek myths retellings…