Pandora's jar : women in Greek myths / Natalie Haynes.
The Greek myths are among the world's most important cultural building blocks and they have been retold many times, but rarely do they focus on the remarkable women at the heart of these ancient stories. Stories of gods and monsters are the mainstay of epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, from the Trojan War to Jason and the Argonauts. And still, today, a wealth of novels, plays and films draw their inspiration from stories first told almost three thousand years ago. But modern tellers of Greek myth have usually been men, and have routinely shown little interest in telling women's stories. And when they do, those women are often painted as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil. But Pandora -- the first woman, who according to legend unloosed chaos upon the world -- was not a villain, and even Medea and Phaedra have more nuanced stories than generations of retellings might indicate. Now, in Pandora's Jar, Natalie Haynes -- broadcaster, writer and passionate classicist -- redresses this imbalance. Taking Pandora and her jar (the box came later) as the starting point, she puts the women of the Greek myths on equal footing with the menfolk. After millennia of stories telling of gods and men, be they Zeus or Agamemnon, Paris or Odysseus, Oedipus or Jason, the voices that sing from these pages are those of Hera, Athena and Artemis, and of Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Eurydice and Penelope.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780063139466
- ISBN: 0063139464
- ISBN: 9780063211315
- ISBN: 0063211319
- Physical Description: viii, 308 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
- Edition: First United States edition
- Publisher: New York : Harper Perennial, [2022]
- Copyright: ©2020
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- "Originally published in Great Britain in 2020 by Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan"--Title page verso.
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 291-308).
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Pandora -- Jocasta -- Helen -- Medusa -- The Amazons -- Clytemnestra -- Eurydice -- Phaedra -- Medea -- Penelope.
Search for related items by subject
Available copies
- 13 of 18 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 1 of 1 copy available at McDowell County Public Library. (Show)
Holds
- 1 current hold with 18 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Fort Branch Library | 292.1 HAY (Text) | 37810435343297 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Bordeaux Library | 292.1308 H (Text) | 31781066790070 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Cleveland County Main Library | 292.13 HAY (Text) | 22281500150550 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/13/2026 |
| Cumberland Headquarters | 292.1308 H (Text) | 31781068441037 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/23/2026 |
| East Asheville Library | 292.13082 HAY (Text) | 0020513212140 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Fairview Library | 292.13082 HAY (Text) | 0020513212355 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| George H. & Laura E. Brown Library | 292.13 Hay (Text) | 30308101295658 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Henderson Main Branch | 292.13 H (Text) | 33258009553780 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/15/2026 |
| Hope Mills Library | 292.1308 H (Text) | 31781066789254 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Jackson County Public Library | 292.1308 H (Text) | 39493109404063 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
Summary:
The Greek myths are among the world's most important cultural building blocks and they have been retold many times, but rarely do they focus on the remarkable women at the heart of these ancient stories. Stories of gods and monsters are the mainstay of epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, from the Trojan War to Jason and the Argonauts. And still, today, a wealth of novels, plays and films draw their inspiration from stories first told almost three thousand years ago. But modern tellers of Greek myth have usually been men, and have routinely shown little interest in telling women's stories. And when they do, those women are often painted as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil. But Pandora -- the first woman, who according to legend unloosed chaos upon the world -- was not a villain, and even Medea and Phaedra have more nuanced stories than generations of retellings might indicate. Now, in Pandora's Jar, Natalie Haynes -- broadcaster, writer and passionate classicist -- redresses this imbalance. Taking Pandora and her jar (the box came later) as the starting point, she puts the women of the Greek myths on equal footing with the menfolk. After millennia of stories telling of gods and men, be they Zeus or Agamemnon, Paris or Odysseus, Oedipus or Jason, the voices that sing from these pages are those of Hera, Athena and Artemis, and of Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Eurydice and Penelope.
