Antigone Rising

February 15, 2020
A professor of Hellenic studies offers a feminist take on major myths from antiquity. Ancient Greek myths are significant parts of the narratives that undergird Western democracy and culture. Morales, the author of Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction, reinterprets old myths with an eye to "recognizing entrenched cultural patterns," especially where the treatment of girls and women, the environment, and minorities are concerned. The author opens by discussing the story of the Amazons in relation to a male undergraduate who killed two female students (and four others) as revenge for years of sexual rejection. Just as Greek mythology celebrated the killing of women warriors, so too does modern society continue to condone acts of violence toward women, especially those who exercise their personal autonomy. A less violent but no less harmful way that patriarchy controls women is through the imperative to diet. By taking Hippocratic quotations--e.g., "extreme remedies are very appropriate for extreme diseases"--out of context, patriarchal culture disciplines (primarily female) bodies into submission to often unattainable standards of beauty. Furthermore, as suggested in the story of Uranus' abusive treatment of Gaia, men are "meant" to dominate both women and the Earth. Later in the book, Morales shows how modern renderings of old myths resist not only misogyny, but racism and transphobia. The author argues that Beyoncé's music video "APESHIT" actively challenges assumptions about whiteness and beauty inscribed in the marbled form of the Venus de Milo. "Filmed inside the [Louvre]...it is an exhilarating six minutes whose stunning images and sharp juxtapositions of ancient and modern reflect upon race, art, and resistance," writes Morales. Ali Smith's novel Girl Meets Boy transforms an Ovidian story about sex changes that align with heterosexual norms to one that emphasizes "the dissolving of gender boundaries." Engaging and well-researched, this book reveals how canonical narratives that appear to uphold (white) patriarchy can be reclaimed to benefit the very groups that patriarchy attempts to suppress. Concise, incisive, and provocative.

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March 6, 2020

Those who pick up classicist Morales's (Argyropoulos Chair in Hellenic Studies, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara; Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction) book on the strength of its evocative title might find themselves both enlivened and slightly disappointed. Morales's knowledge of myths is apparent, as is her passion for the power of ancient stories combined with modern issues--chapters on Beyonc�'s deliberate use of goddess imagery in contrast to earlier racist examples of "black Venuses" and on myths that speak to LGBTQ people are standouts. Three of the eight chapters center not on myths at all but on the Greek play Lysistrata, the treatises of Hippocrates, and the gynaeconomi or "women controllers" of ancient Greece. Nearly as much attention is given to how myths help establish and enforce harmful modern behaviors (diets, dress codes, physical and sexual violence against women) as to the potentially subversive aspects of myths and their reclamation by women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals. The result is an entertaining, thoughtful read that also requires some adjustment of expectations. VERDICT Most appropriate for readers seeking a spirited, concise look at intersections of Greek and Roman myths and current social concerns.--Kathleen McCallister, William & Mary Libs., Williamsburg, VA

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April 15, 2020
Classicist Morales' latest (Pilgrimage to Dollywood, 2014) is a difficult read in the best way. The slim volume tackles ancient history, which many find too dry to cover, along with modern day misogyny and systemic violence, topics many find too contentious. With humor, compassion, and enough citations to satisfy the scholarly, Morales explores how Greco-Roman myths continue to influence these issues and much else about our culture today. Whether by comparing the titular tragic heroine to climate activist Greta Thunberg to demonstrate how society pathologizes outspoken young women or celebrating Beyonc� and Jay-Z's Louvre-set music video APESHIT for its protest and recontextualization of colonialism, racism, and Western beauty standards, the book never loses focus on how ancient stories are still alive and powerful. The biggest drawback is that, in its brevity, there isn't space to dive fully into the conversations and topics that are introduced. Recommended for those who like their feminism well-researched, unapologetic, and unafraid of a dirty joke as well as to all who've struggled to see themselves reflected in history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)