Classical Mythology

By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver

These 24 lectures are a vibrant introduction to the primary characters and most important stories of classical Greek and Roman mythology. Among those you'll investigate are the accounts of the creation of the world in Hesiod's Theogony and Ovid's Metamorphoses; the gods Zeus, Apollo, Demeter, Persephone, Hermes, Dionysos, and Aphrodite; the Greek heroes, Theseus and Heracles (Hercules in the Roman version); and the most famous of all classical myths, the Trojan War.

Professor Vandiver anchors her presentation in some basics. What is a myth? Which societies use myths? What are some of the problems inherent in studying classical mythology? She also discusses the most influential 19th- and 20th-century thinking about myth's nature and function, including the psychological theories of Freud and Jung and the metaphysical approach of Joseph Campbell. You'll also consider the relationship between mythology and culture (such as the implications of the myth of Demeter, Persephone, and Hades for the Greek view of life, death, and marriage), the origins of classical mythology (including the similarities between the Theogony and Mesopotamian creation myths), and the dangers of probing for distant origins (for example, there's little evidence that a prehistoric "mother goddess" lies at the heart of mythology).

Taking you from the surprising "truths" about the Minotaur to Ovid's impact on the works of William Shakespeare, these lectures make classical mythology fresh, absorbing, and often surprising.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2000 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2000 The Great Courses

captivating lectures from one of GC's best

Prof. Vandiver is one of Great Courses' best lecturers and this one is a wonderful place to start with her catalog.

This is a college level discussion of the origins and meanings of the Greek myths, but would be accessible to a home school high school student. or anyone looking for further education. It is not primarily a retelling of the myths, and I would go elsewhere for that, perhaps d'Aulaire's (though the audio is for children, it is quite good), or one of the Naxos re-tellings.

This is one of my favorite of the Great Courses' offerings and it improves upon re-listening, so a good investment.

Surprised how much I enjoyed this.

What made the experience of listening to Classical Mythology the most enjoyable?

I mistakenly thought this was going to be the stories themselves but it was a discussion of the stories and what some of the meaning behind them are. I really enjoyed Professor Elizabeth Vandiver's insight and options on the different stories and how they related. She used experience from her years of teaching to discuss the stores. I will listen to this again.

A great read (listen) for anyone.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in human development or history buffs looking for context.

Sounds Greek to Me

A great lecture to make us more aware that many of the stories that are familiar to us have been based, directly or indirectly, on Greek and Roman myths. I will certainly revisit my classical mythology books.

Myth Understood

Beautiful. Insightful. Educational.
A must for anyone remotely interested in mythology. Learn who we are today.

This book is boring? Now, THAT's a Myth!

You may ask how I can give the Story and Performance 4 stars a piece, but the whole experience 5 stars. It's, because I found that they complimented each other. This was fantastic. i struggled to "put it down." It actually made me look forward to my drives to and from work.

Who knew a lecture could be so captivating?

Who knew listening to a bunch of lectures could be so darn captivating? I learned so much from these lectures, not only about classical mythology, but about Greek culture also. I found especially fascinating the recurring themes in the stories and what they may have represented in Greek society itself. I knew that Greek society in this time period was extremely patriarchal and misogynistic, but the possibility that many aspects of myth reflected a deep seated resentment and fear over the power women had over reproduction and the ability of men to produce sons was very thought provoking. There were many such parallels and it was all so fascinating!

Elizabeth Vandiver is a very talented lecturer and I enjoyed her presentation and narration immensely! I'd definitely recommend these lectures to anyone interested in classical mythology!

Great lectures

I loved it and this is the second time I listen to these lectures. You don't have to pay much attention while listening as Prof. Elizabeth's stylish storytollying will force you to pay attention!! Great book to understand what myth is about :)

Very interesting survey

Outstanding survey of Classical Mythology. A number of myths are told and analyzed. The context and function of myths are explaind. One of the best of Great Courses I have listened too, and almost all of them are good.

Thank you, Professor Vandiver!

Cogent and compelling. Brava Prof Vandiver. One of the finest lecturers in the subject of Mythology.