Monday, December 3, 2018

Miller, Madeline (Circe)

It takes panache to grab classic mythology and spin it for modern times. As the publisher, this would have worried me a bunch - too much hubris and this book would have sunk from its own weight.

So, what Miller does is fairly amazing, as a result. Besides educating the unwashed masses about all those long forgotten Greek gods and demi-gods, she gives you a reason to care about some of the "wronged" gods. Or at least the females who have been mistreated by historical writing for far too long, or so it would seem.

I did think the ending was a bit facile - everything Circe has worried about with respect to her father is turned on its edge through one quick conversation? Totally unbelievable - especially since he's been a completely terrifying asshole for her entire life. Perhaps surprisingly I appreciate Miller telling me about Odysseus more than Circe. He being the far more famous mythological character, it's easier to recognize what's familiar to many of us and understand the complexities she's crafted for him.

I would be interested to see the lesson plans that could be crafted for teaching Mary Renault and Miller together. I suspect, as usual, teachers are way ahead of me.

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