Five Classic Novels Inspired by Ancient Greek Myths Everyone Should Read

Departure of Ulysses from the Land of the Pheacians. How person classical novels been inspired by ancient Greek myth? Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

At immoderate point, astir of america person encountered novels deemed “classics”—those enduring, timeless works that person been handed down to america done the ages and proceed to resonate with readers crossed generations. They person shaped not lone our lit but besides who we are and however we spot the world. The roots of the classical contented spell backmost arsenic acold arsenic ancient Greece, with Homer’s epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey and past Greek myths successful wide having defined definite classical novels.

Over the centuries, countless authors person drawn inspiration from past Greek mythology to constitute their ain breakthrough works. Myths of the twelve Gods and different figures specified arsenic Odysseus, Hercules, Prometheus, and Eros person triggered the imaginativeness of some classical and modern writers from James Joyce to the arguable Oscar Wilde. Here are a fewer classical novels rooted successful past Greek myths that everyone should work astatine slightest erstwhile successful their lifetime.

So what are these 5 classical novels inspired by Greek myths?

• Ulysses, by James Joyce

James Joyce is considered 1 of the top Irish novelists of each time, and his admiration for Homer’s enactment runs deep. He peculiarly admired Odysseus, who helium saw arsenic 1 of literature’s astir well-rounded and analyzable figures. The journey of Odysseus, who spent 10 years successful peril connected his mode location to Ithaca aft the Trojan War, inspired Joyce’s 1922 caller Ulysses—whose rubric is the latinized signifier of Odysseus.

Ulysses unfolds implicit the people of a azygous time successful Dublin, pursuing the lives of 3 characters. In a motion to The Odyssey, the caller is structured into episodes, each named aft a cardinal infinitesimal successful Homer’s epic, with titles similar “Calypso,” “Lotus Eaters,” “Cyclops,” “Circe,” “Penelope,” and “Ithaca,” amongst others.

Joyce skillfully draws metaphorical parallels betwixt his characters and those from The Odyssey, arsenic good arsenic referencing cardinal events. The protagonist, Leopold Bloom, is simply a modern mentation of Odysseus, portion his wife, Molly Bloom, reflects Penelope. This representation is completed by Stephen Dedalus, who is simply a counterpart of Odysseus’ son, Telemachus. As with overmuch of Joyce’s work, Ulysses explores themes of Irish nationalism and the analyzable narration with British rule, blending authorities with past myth. This synthesis makes Joyce’s caller some a idiosyncratic and a cosmopolitan enactment of art.

• Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

The afloat rubric of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, is nary accident. Shelley drew inspiration from the fig of Prometheus successful Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound and Ovid’s Metamorphosis. In Frankenstein, she reimagines this past story done the lens of Victorian Gothic.

Frankenstein centers connected Victor Frankenstein, a passionate and coltish young idiosyncratic who brings a sapient carnal to beingness successful his laboratory. This groundbreaking enactment of creating beingness retired of thing mirrors the myth of Prometheus, who defied the Olympian gods by stealing occurrence to springiness to humanity—thus giving them the powerfulness to physique civilization.

But Shelley’s allusion to the Prometheus story doesn’t extremity there. She besides mirrors the punishment inflicted connected Prometheus successful Victor’s fate. In Greek mythology, Zeus condemned Prometheus to eternal torment, chaining him to a stone wherever an eagle devoured his liver each day, lone for it to regenerate overnight.

Likewise, Victor is trapped successful a rhythm of anguish and guilt, relentlessly pursued by the precise carnal helium brought to life. This parallel betwixt story and modern calamity makes Frankenstein 1 of the top works of Gothic literature.

The Myth of Prometheus is thought to beryllium an inspiration for the classical caller Frankenstein. Credit: Theodoor Rombouts / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

• The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Irish writer Oscar Wilde, tells the communicative of a vain, hedonistic young antheral whose obsession with quality drives him to merchantability his psyche for eternal youth. His friend, creator Basil Hallward, paints a representation of Dorian that mysteriously grows older and much corrupted—reflecting his sins—while Dorian himself remains untouched by time.

This thought of vanity mightiness look familiar: successful composing his novel, Wilde drew escaped inspiration from the ancient Greek story of Narcissus. In this myth, Narcissus, a huntsman admired for his beauty, rejected each those who sought his love. Ultimately, helium became captivated by his ain shiny reflection successful a excavation of water, unaware it was simply an representation of himself. Spellbound by his ain beauty, Narcissus wasted distant gazing astatine the h2o and yet drowned.

Dorian Gray tin beryllium viewed arsenic a Victorian-era Narcissus, consumed by his ain vanity. His obsession with his representation astatine past became his undoing and led to his tragic downfall. The story of Narcissus that echoes done Wilde’s enactment feels much applicable than ever today—and this classical surely holds immoderate invaluable lessons.

Echo and Narcissus (1903) by John William Waterhouse. The story of Narcissus loosely inspired the quality of Dorian Gray from Oscar Wilde’s classical novel. Credit: Google Art Project link. Public Domain.

• Autobiography of Red, by Anne Carson

A much “contemporary” classic, Autobiography of Red is simply a verse caller published successful 1998 by author, essayist and prof Anne Carson. Its inspiration lies successful the myth of Hercules and his Tenth Labor, wherever helium indispensable retrieve cattle from the three-bodied elephantine Geryon. In Greek mythology, Geryon is depicted arsenic a elephantine successful monstrous form, a grandson of Medusa and nephew of Pegasus.

In her novel, Carson offers a fresh, metaphorical mentation of the myth. Geryon is portrayed arsenic a “monstrous” young lad who endures maltreatment from his older brother, finds solace successful photography, and kindles a romance with a young antheral named Herakles.

Carson’s reimagining shows however a writer well-versed successful past mythology tin reshape these stories into thing of her own, captious and informed, which resonates powerfully with modern readers.

5. ‘Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis

‘Till We Have Faces is simply a 1956 caller by C.S. Lewis, writer of The Chronicles of Narnia. It draws from 2 lesser-known figures successful Greek mythology: Eros, deity of love, and Psyche, goddess of the soul. Lewis specifically reimagines the past communicative of Cupid (the Roman counterpart of Eros) and Psyche, arsenic told by Apuleius successful the 2nd period AD, shifting its perspective.

The caller retells the myth of Cupid and Psyche done the eyes of Psyche’s older sister, Orual. Unlike the past story successful which Psyche’s sisters are portrayed arsenic envious of her narration with Eros, deceiving their sister into betraying him, Lewis gives Orual a compelling voice. She openly accuses the gods and attempts to rescue Psyche, who has been sacrificed to the “God of the Mountain.”

Orual narrates the communicative arsenic it “truly” happened, challenging the archetypal myth. As such, Lewis shows however a communicative specified arsenic his tin reshape the meaning of a myth.