The Dictionary of Classical Mythology

Download or read book The Dictionary of Classical Mythology written by John Edward Zimmerman and published by Bantam. This book was released on 1983-06-01 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over 2,000 entries with simple, complete explanations of classical myths, heroes, authors, works, place names and symbols. And a bibliography of recommended translations of Greek and Latin prose and poetry. “A knowledge of classical mythology is indispensable in understanding and appreciating much of the great literature, sculpture, and painting of both the ancients and the moderns. Unless we know the marvelous stories of the deities and heroes of the ancients, their great literature and art as much later work down to the present day will remain unintelligible. Through the centuries from Chaucer, Spencer, Shakespeare, and Milton on, not only the major writers but also hundreds of lesser writers have retold the old tales or used them as a point of departure for new interpretations in terms of contemporary problems and psychology.”—From author’s Introduction