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A review by asterope
Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes
informative
reflective
5.0
As someone dusting the cobwebs off their knowledge of mythology, this was perfect. Natalie Haynes discusses ten overlooked and/or misunderstood women from the Greek myths. It has a wry, very readable writing style that doesn't require you to have much prior knowledge. Each chapter runs through the character's various depictions with clear language and context.
The book's analysis covers how the women are shown in both written and visual art across the ages. Haynes also specifies when the different texts referenced were written, so we can easily see the influences and connections between them. She picks apart examples of the language used and how it shapes the most common portrayals. For example, an inaccurate translation to English changed Hippolyta's war belt (given to her by Ares) to a girdle. The translations and connotations are all well-explained too, so you don't need to have any familiarity with Greek.
My particular favourites were Clytemnestra's sad tale of revenge for her murdered daughter, the duality of Medusa and Medea being "ravaged by her own psyche". But all of the chapters were excellent really. There's no pictures within the chapters but there's notes with enough information about the works (pottery and paintings and such) that you can easily find them online. Haynes provides concise descriptions of the pots, jars and bowls which I found especially helpful as sometimes I find it a little hard to tell what's going on with those. Each woman's chapter does begin with a picture of an art piece depicting them however. I loved the use of Rossetti's Pandora, and Haynes even stops to wonder how Jane Morris may have felt being portrayed as "a beautiful evil".
This was a very enriching read for me, as my knowledge of mythology is quite basic. It's not dry in the slightest - Hayne's humour and passion for the subject enhances the book beyond being simply a vessel for information. It's highly recommended!
The book's analysis covers how the women are shown in both written and visual art across the ages. Haynes also specifies when the different texts referenced were written, so we can easily see the influences and connections between them. She picks apart examples of the language used and how it shapes the most common portrayals. For example, an inaccurate translation to English changed Hippolyta's war belt (given to her by Ares) to a girdle. The translations and connotations are all well-explained too, so you don't need to have any familiarity with Greek.
My particular favourites were Clytemnestra's sad tale of revenge for her murdered daughter, the duality of Medusa and Medea being "ravaged by her own psyche". But all of the chapters were excellent really. There's no pictures within the chapters but there's notes with enough information about the works (pottery and paintings and such) that you can easily find them online. Haynes provides concise descriptions of the pots, jars and bowls which I found especially helpful as sometimes I find it a little hard to tell what's going on with those. Each woman's chapter does begin with a picture of an art piece depicting them however. I loved the use of Rossetti's Pandora, and Haynes even stops to wonder how Jane Morris may have felt being portrayed as "a beautiful evil".
This was a very enriching read for me, as my knowledge of mythology is quite basic. It's not dry in the slightest - Hayne's humour and passion for the subject enhances the book beyond being simply a vessel for information. It's highly recommended!