When I was a child, someone gave me a book called "Myths And Enchantment Tales." It featured a blue background, with Pegasus, the winged horse, flying up into the sky. It introduced me to the world of Greek mythology, which, in my younger years, fascinated me. The illustrations were striking.
"Circe," by Madeline Miller, has no illustrations, but, to this generation of say, junior high and up readers, it is a wonderful way of introducing them to classical mythology. It even has a glossary in the back, explaining who's who.
After reading this, I have to read her earlier, "The Song Of Achilles."
The narrative, which is pretty much Circe herself telling her story, from birth, to disobedience, to exile, to her emergence as a witch, demonstrates that the quote alluded to in my headline, should have been in vogue back then, and may have stemmed from that time.
Long before Jackie married Aristotle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And, if you are reading this blog and do not know who Jackie and Aristotle are/were, you are in serious trouble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Medea pops up in this book. So does the monster Scylla--my favorite here!!!!!!!--and a woman with a scorpion's tail! Now, that is one bitch to avoid!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a bunch of bitches and pranksters those gods and goddesses were! If you are old enough to remember "The Mighty Hercules" cartoons on TV, this book will blow your mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It gives a reality to mythology that other books, short of the actual texts of Homer and others, do not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Circe" is loads of fun, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And. believe me, she would know how to handle Harvey Weinstein, and his ilk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is the childhood book I was talking about. Wish I could find a copy now!!!!!!!!!!
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