Book of the Week

Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes

Recommended by JMcL

In Greek myth, the box (or jar) Pandora opens contains all sorts of evils and terrors. At first glance, the same could be said of this book: within it are characters who seethe with murderous intent and incestuous desire, figures of fatal beauty and petrifying ugliness, sorceresses and seducers, villains and victims.   

Classicist and broadcaster Natalie Haynes uses the stories of ten well-known women from Greek myth to explore the ways in which classical culture represents the female. Should we really blame Pandora for the ills she unleashed? Why do we care more about Oedipus than his mother/wife Jocasta? Was it Helen’s fault that Troy fell? Haynes suggests we think carefully before leaping to conclusions.