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cinzia's review against another edition
5.0
Ancient "Heroes" (whose title is dubious, to say the least) get far too much space in research and media. It's time, Liz Gloyn declares, to turn our attention to monsters and how they have permeated contemporary media, despite their ancient nucleus. How have ancient monsters seeped seamlessly into realms unbefitting other monsters such as vampires, witches or werewolves? And why are we so attuned to embracing their presence in politics, film, media, advertising and literature?
Gloyn explores and theorises the answers to these questions and more throughout her thorough analysis of monster studies. The book spans an impressive array of media, from the films of Harryhausen to the Percy Jackson series. Each chapter, written in Gloyn's renowned conversational and approachable writing style, explores the multitude of theoretical approaches to Classical reception without weighing or slowing down the text with academic technicalities.
The entire text is enjoyable to read while also being exceptionally informative. It is a worthy contribution to the field of Classical reception, especially considering how magnificently she balanced writing about contemporary discussions in a timeless manner. What I found exceptionally well-handled was Gloyn's ability to highlight the problematic elements of Classical reception by addressing areas of racism and misogyny when they arose, rather than skirting over the issue as many scholars do.
There are degrees of personal bias in my review, which I'll admit. Firstly, Gloyn was one of my favourite lecturers during my undergraduate, so having a first-hand experience of her tone and energy made reading this text even livelier and exciting. Secondly, many of the discussions she brought up regarding Classical reception in politics fed into my research field, which made me incredibly excited and validated.
That being said, this is a text anyone could enjoy, regardless of their Classical studies background. If anything, the most disconnecting elements of Gloyn's work are those in which she discussed in-depth books or films I hadn't seen (but I'm an odd person. Not many people can say they've never seen Gladiator.)
I would have loved the work to have been even more fleshed out with Gloyn sharing her own hypothesises and analyses in more detail. However, the book does end with Gloyn extending her hand to fellow scholars to build upon this research field, so I'll guess I'll have to oblige.
Gloyn explores and theorises the answers to these questions and more throughout her thorough analysis of monster studies. The book spans an impressive array of media, from the films of Harryhausen to the Percy Jackson series. Each chapter, written in Gloyn's renowned conversational and approachable writing style, explores the multitude of theoretical approaches to Classical reception without weighing or slowing down the text with academic technicalities.
The entire text is enjoyable to read while also being exceptionally informative. It is a worthy contribution to the field of Classical reception, especially considering how magnificently she balanced writing about contemporary discussions in a timeless manner. What I found exceptionally well-handled was Gloyn's ability to highlight the problematic elements of Classical reception by addressing areas of racism and misogyny when they arose, rather than skirting over the issue as many scholars do.
There are degrees of personal bias in my review, which I'll admit. Firstly, Gloyn was one of my favourite lecturers during my undergraduate, so having a first-hand experience of her tone and energy made reading this text even livelier and exciting. Secondly, many of the discussions she brought up regarding Classical reception in politics fed into my research field, which made me incredibly excited and validated.
That being said, this is a text anyone could enjoy, regardless of their Classical studies background. If anything, the most disconnecting elements of Gloyn's work are those in which she discussed in-depth books or films I hadn't seen (but I'm an odd person. Not many people can say they've never seen Gladiator.)
I would have loved the work to have been even more fleshed out with Gloyn sharing her own hypothesises and analyses in more detail. However, the book does end with Gloyn extending her hand to fellow scholars to build upon this research field, so I'll guess I'll have to oblige.
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