Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-17 00:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Natalie Haynes
- ISBN：B096YLTWL2
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Dresden （Effloress）
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An easily digestible analysis of the iconic women in Greek Myth！ Natalie Haynes’ prose once again spirited me away， and I often found myself forgetting that I was reading a work of non-fiction。 This was simultaneously very educational and delightful。
Melissa McCauley
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A manifest of the most badass women throughout Greek mythology。 Often times， we forget the origin stories of the most iconic characters in Greek mythology leaving these women to be portrayed as minor， monstrous creatures （mostly by men）， this book expertly recounts the uncensored versions of these tales。
Hannah Ayers
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This book was really interesting and had some fantastic tales that I never would have connected on my own。 The idea that these Greek women have almost become tropes in their own rights was a really interesting discussion。 However， I found that Haynes relies on the reader to have a strong understanding of Greek myth to follow her discussions。 I consider myself to know more than the average person， but there was more than one place where I got lost。
Athena of Velaris
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A wonderful collection of nonfiction essays about various women in classical mythology， Pandora's Jar was fascinating from start to finish。 With wit， charm， nerdiness， and just the right amount of raging feminism， there is very little I would change。 Of course， I can't summarize this book better than the author herself:“Every myth contains multiple timelines within itself: the time in which it is set， the time it is first told， and every retelling afterwards。 Myths may be the home of the miracul A wonderful collection of nonfiction essays about various women in classical mythology， Pandora's Jar was fascinating from start to finish。 With wit， charm， nerdiness， and just the right amount of raging feminism， there is very little I would change。 Of course， I can't summarize this book better than the author herself:“Every myth contains multiple timelines within itself: the time in which it is set， the time it is first told， and every retelling afterwards。 Myths may be the home of the miraculous， but they are also mirrors of us。 Which version of a story we choose to tell， which characters we place in the foreground， which ones we allow to fade into the shadows: these reflect both the teller and the reader， as much as they show the characters of the myth。 We have made space in our storytelling to rediscover women who have been lost or forgotten。 They are not villains， victims， wives and monsters: they are people。” 。。。more
Jess
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Natalie Haynes gives us the literary history of the women of Greek Mythology。 She explains the often sexist origins of their myths。 The chapters on Pandora， Eurydice， and Penelope were my favorites。
Sara
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I loved this book！ It was filled with great examples from modern retellings （art， film， books， etc。） to the different versions of the myths surrounding the same character。 The narrative throughout the novel was beautifully done and it was an overall joy reading this book。 Can’t wait to read more of Natalie Haynes's books！ I loved this book！ It was filled with great examples from modern retellings （art， film， books， etc。） to the different versions of the myths surrounding the same character。 The narrative throughout the novel was beautifully done and it was an overall joy reading this book。 Can’t wait to read more of Natalie Haynes's books！ 。。。more
Sam Brady
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I picked up this book thinking it was going to be totally different that what it was and found something unexpected but just a great！It was really interesting learning more about the backstory of some of the most famous women in mythology。 It also didn’t hurt that Natalie Haynes took all this information， which could’ve been very scholarly and dull and turned it into something interesting that kept me turning the pages instead of putting it down！
Brooke
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To start off， i have never read literary criticism and didnt know that this was a literary criticism until i began to read but i was so pleasantly surprised！！ Anything greek mythology related is right up my alley so i was going to like this book regardless， but i couldn’t get enough of this book。 Natalie haynes’ writing shows that she’s so well-informed and knowledgeable that i would have believed that she was one of the ancient playwrights that she referenced throughout the work。 It was also so To start off， i have never read literary criticism and didnt know that this was a literary criticism until i began to read but i was so pleasantly surprised！！ Anything greek mythology related is right up my alley so i was going to like this book regardless， but i couldn’t get enough of this book。 Natalie haynes’ writing shows that she’s so well-informed and knowledgeable that i would have believed that she was one of the ancient playwrights that she referenced throughout the work。 It was also so refreshing to hear a new take on the somewhat infamous？？ myths and the different perspectives and ways we can approach them in the modern age。 Overall， i loved this book and i will definitely be checking out more of her work！！！！ 。。。more
Alli
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Let’s hear it for the ladies！ This nonfiction book examines the female perspective of famous Greek myths。 From Helen of Troy to Medusa， the author considers their side of the story， their family history and context， and how their story has been told throughout time into present day culture。 I enjoyed the historical references to different playwright authors who first told the stories of these women and the translations of Greek words to better understand the true character of the ladies。 I appre Let’s hear it for the ladies！ This nonfiction book examines the female perspective of famous Greek myths。 From Helen of Troy to Medusa， the author considers their side of the story， their family history and context， and how their story has been told throughout time into present day culture。 I enjoyed the historical references to different playwright authors who first told the stories of these women and the translations of Greek words to better understand the true character of the ladies。 I appreciate the author’s dedication and diligence in her thorough research of these stories。 Even better， she identifies how some of today’s norms and media often harken back to these ancient tales。 This book was more academic than I expected but I enjoyed the in depth analysis of these famous Greek myths。 In the hustle and bustle of adult and mom life， I’ve realized I miss the novelty of learning。 Pandora’s Jar was a wonderful way to satiate that thirst for knowledge。 💙 。。。more
Shanéia
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I really enjoyed reading this！ It gave a different point of view to so many women that appear in greek myths。 I liked seeing a different view where the women were more than they were presented as。 It's definitely a book that is hard to get into， but the payoff is so good。 I love how it draws on modern examples all the way back to older ones！ （*4。5） I really enjoyed reading this！ It gave a different point of view to so many women that appear in greek myths。 I liked seeing a different view where the women were more than they were presented as。 It's definitely a book that is hard to get into， but the payoff is so good。 I love how it draws on modern examples all the way back to older ones！ （*4。5） 。。。more
Pablo
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Interesting and educational。。。。A good book to understand the complexity of women in Greek mythology。 Euripides's plays giving them more central and interesting roles than those in the more well known stories。 Interesting and educational。。。。A good book to understand the complexity of women in Greek mythology。 Euripides's plays giving them more central and interesting roles than those in the more well known stories。 。。。more
Suzy Beaverstock
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Hands down one of the best books I’ve read this year！A tough read but worth every pageA great combo of feminist theory applied to the classic Greek MythsA must read！
Taracuda
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Interesting and educational。
William Rigby
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This story most certainly fits its title。For anyone who has studied classics， or has read the plethora of feminist retellings， will recognise the lack of female perspective that permeates the ancient world。 Both in law and culture， women were pushed to the margins of history， despite making up roughly half of society's numbers。 This pattern follows suit in the Greek myths and legendary fables， where we once again find that women are relegated to the sidelines while the men grasp the limelight wi This story most certainly fits its title。For anyone who has studied classics， or has read the plethora of feminist retellings， will recognise the lack of female perspective that permeates the ancient world。 Both in law and culture， women were pushed to the margins of history， despite making up roughly half of society's numbers。 This pattern follows suit in the Greek myths and legendary fables， where we once again find that women are relegated to the sidelines while the men grasp the limelight with a firm and unrelenting grip。 Many subsequent adaptions of these works have been reproduced throughout literary and artistical history， which primarily serve to imbed further the notion that the women within these stories are mere facets and plot devices to the male's quest for kleos。 However， Pandora's Jar serves as a non-fictional take on this trend and aims to bring these long-forgotten women out of the shadows and brought into the public eye。 The book's title is certainly apt， as Haynes opens up a 'can of worms' by spoiling the male fantasy in favour of telling a woman's reality。 Many of these archetypal women that have been used throughout history to chastise and make examples of those who have fallen out of line are shown to be the victims rather than villains of these stories。 Hayne demonstrates time and time again that many of these women never had much of a choice when making their decisions， and those who did are argued to have very valid reasons。 Thus， conveying to her audience that we ought to rethink how we navigate these stories。 And similarly， alter how we tell them to future generations as not to repeat the misogynistic cycle of previous writers。I can't entirely agree with all of Haynes's arguments。 I knew Medea would be a tough one to argue， and I don't think I am convinced。 I am unsure whether Hayne is attempting to justify what Medea did， but it certainly came across as apologetic。 I also thought her chapter on Eurydice was relatively weak， with just a tiny appendage on why she did not want to be with Orpheus。 But I digress。 I think this book is very well written， with small bites of her humour lighting up the dark passages of mythological female reality。 Reminding us that these are still stories and how we approach them can completely change their meanings and reception。 I would recommend this to those familiar with most of these stories。 It helps to know where these women come from in their original texts and can also aid you in strengthening your views on their stories。 To the casual fan， this book may lose some of its meaning。 But obviously， read whatever you want。 。。。more
Crista Hogan
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entertaining way to refresh on mythology
Phoebe Wallace
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This book was so dry。 I went into this book looking for more of a retelling of myths with stronger female voices; however this provided a very broad overview of mythology with slightly feminist viewpoints。 The overview was so broad that key details were left out。 If you’re not familiar with the mythologies， it’s hard to follow the ideas she presents。 This is less of a collection of uncovered female voices in mythology and more of an anthology of how women are not included and how their role is n This book was so dry。 I went into this book looking for more of a retelling of myths with stronger female voices; however this provided a very broad overview of mythology with slightly feminist viewpoints。 The overview was so broad that key details were left out。 If you’re not familiar with the mythologies， it’s hard to follow the ideas she presents。 This is less of a collection of uncovered female voices in mythology and more of an anthology of how women are not included and how their role is neglected in mythology。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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The Greek myths are among the world's most important cultural building blocks and have been retold many times。 But they rarely focus on the remarkable women at the heart of these ancient stories。 Modern tellers of Greek myth have usually been men， and have routinely shown little interest in telling women's narratives。 And when they do， these women are often shown as monsters， vengeful or just plain evil。 In Pandora's Jar， Natalie Haynes re-dresses that imbalance。 After millenia of telling storie The Greek myths are among the world's most important cultural building blocks and have been retold many times。 But they rarely focus on the remarkable women at the heart of these ancient stories。 Modern tellers of Greek myth have usually been men， and have routinely shown little interest in telling women's narratives。 And when they do， these women are often shown as monsters， vengeful or just plain evil。 In Pandora's Jar， Natalie Haynes re-dresses that imbalance。 After millenia of telling stories of gods and men the voices that sing from these pages are those of the women 。。' When women take up space， there is less available for men。 But it means we get a whole story instead of half of one。。' The brilliant Natalie Haynes， author of the equally brilliant A Thousand Ships， serves up a nonfiction celebration and examination in to some of the most famous women in Greek mythology。 When I studied Classics at Uni， I became obsessed with the portrayal of women in literature， the roles they played and how they are perceived and portrayed in todays modern pop culture。 This book contains fantastic and at times witty， retellings of the stories of Clytemnestra， Pandora， Helen， Eurydice， Medusa， Penelope， Jocasta and my most favourite of all， Medea。 I loved being reminded of these tales and how the interpretations changed dependent on the playwright and how we still see remnants of these myths in much of our popular culture - you will see mentioned， Doctor Who， Beyonce， Buffy and， naturally， Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts。 However， in the introduction， Haynes promises the reader she will re-dress the imbalance and give these women a voice。 But sadly this doesn't happen - these are literally just different re-tellings of their stories but with them at the forefront rather than the men。 There seems to be little or no substance to the original points she was trying to make。 I was hoping for lots of arguments and opinions backed up with lots of literary evidence。 I was very disappointed。 It is enjoyable if you are interested in the myths or if you just need a reminder - but those of you looking for a more critical prose - you may be disappointed。 Three stars from me。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Audrey Moreng
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On my journey of branching out with the books I read。 This is an interesting one， but just not my jam。 It did peak my interest a bit。 Some of the chapters are more intriguing than others。 Big fan of Medea。
Sophie Boyce
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Really enjoyed this， but I wasn’t expecting it to be essays。 Still extremely interesting and engaging though。
Yurda
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nonfiction literary and criticism history book about the women in greek myths: how they were portrayed in the past and present。 really liked the writing and subtile funny comments by the author
Megret00
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Wonder and chagrin， all the thoughts that bothered me about Greek Myths explained。 Funny， a bit sardonic， well documented from recent "deconstructionism" to original authors and critics。 Wonder and chagrin， all the thoughts that bothered me about Greek Myths explained。 Funny， a bit sardonic， well documented from recent "deconstructionism" to original authors and critics。 。。。more
Sarah Dawson
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Absolutely loved this！
Inés
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This was a really interesting book。 It is basically a bunch of essays explaining myths about women and the different origins and variants。 It also discussed the visual representations of the women which I liked a lot。 I really enjoyed how it made me think about women in myths I already knew about and see them differently。
Kiley Garrett
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In this non-fiction collection of essays， Natalie Haynes examines ten mythological women， comparing their depictions in original texts and retellings over time。 She reinvigorates the complexity and intrigue behind figures like Medusa and Madea， who have lost dimension in many iterations of their stories。 Alternating between contemporary pop culture references and academic text analysis， Things With Jars will make you think twice about how your original understanding of these characters was shape In this non-fiction collection of essays， Natalie Haynes examines ten mythological women， comparing their depictions in original texts and retellings over time。 She reinvigorates the complexity and intrigue behind figures like Medusa and Madea， who have lost dimension in many iterations of their stories。 Alternating between contemporary pop culture references and academic text analysis， Things With Jars will make you think twice about how your original understanding of these characters was shaped。 。。。more
MBenzz
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DNF at 12%Wow， is this book drrrrry。 I love Greek Mythology， especially the women of Greek Mythology。 However， this book reads like a school assignment that blathers on and on about the possible meanings of various Greek stories and paintings of Greek women。I always read before bed， and this book put me to sleep faster than the Melatonin I usually take to help me along。 I tried for two nights， then again this morning， thinking maybe it was me， but nope。 It's this book。If you're expecting a Histo DNF at 12%Wow， is this book drrrrry。 I love Greek Mythology， especially the women of Greek Mythology。 However， this book reads like a school assignment that blathers on and on about the possible meanings of various Greek stories and paintings of Greek women。I always read before bed， and this book put me to sleep faster than the Melatonin I usually take to help me along。 I tried for two nights， then again this morning， thinking maybe it was me， but nope。 It's this book。If you're expecting a Historical Fiction-esq retelling of the women of Greek Mythology， this is NOT the book for you。 This is a heavily researched and bone-dry analysis of who these women actually were and where their stories came from。 At least， I think that's what it was。 Idk。。。just thinking about this book makes me want to go back to sleep。 No thanks。 。。。more
Roxann
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How can you talk about Wonder Woman and Buffy but leave out Xena？？？？🤦🏻♀️
Chloe （thelastcolour）
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Not what I was expecting but I loved it！ Natalie Haynes is amazing and I can’t wait to read more of her work
Rainer Hayer
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Pandora’s Jar feels like your having an on topic conversation with a friend more than anything。 It’s a modern exploration of not only the women of Greek mythology but feminism and how we examine equality。 The book is very inclusive of other Greek literature and sources out with the topic entirely， that relate to the treatment and portrayal of women。 As it’s non-fiction it’s harder to digest the chapters and it may take longer to read。 However， it is a great book and makes Greek myth a lot more t Pandora’s Jar feels like your having an on topic conversation with a friend more than anything。 It’s a modern exploration of not only the women of Greek mythology but feminism and how we examine equality。 The book is very inclusive of other Greek literature and sources out with the topic entirely， that relate to the treatment and portrayal of women。 As it’s non-fiction it’s harder to digest the chapters and it may take longer to read。 However， it is a great book and makes Greek myth a lot more transparent for new comers to the the subject。 。。。more
M
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an excellent work of literary revisionism/cultural commentary/close reading that refocuses on the complex and often contradictory humanity of women who have been shoved into the margins of greek myththere were places where i felt the analysis could have gone deeper， but overall an extremely compelling & accessible read。 i found the chapter on medea to be particularly transgressive and toothy
Alana Johnson
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