Mythology by Edith Hamilton Critical Analysis

Mythology by Edith Hamilton Edith Hamilton: Mythology is a collection of Greek and Roman myths retold by Edith Hamilton. It is rewritten in a way that more readers could comprehend its content. The book was published in 1999 by Grand Central Publishing in New York, New York. Edith Hamilton believed that Greek myths "show how high the ancient Greeks rose above ancient filth and fierceness." However, she also believed that "Greek mythology do not throw any clear light upon what early mankind was like" (14). They were simply written by ancient societies or civilizations to express themselves or to explain natural events that occurred around them. In addition, Edith Hamilton also says that the "best guides to a knowledge of Greek mythology are the Greek writers who believe what they wrote" (23). Edith Hamilton: Mythology can be described in many ways. It can be described and analyzed by its purpose, organization and language, and interpretation. One way that it could be described is by analyzing the book 's purpose. This book was written for many purposes. In Hamilton 's perspective, the purpose of this work was simply to "show us the way the human race thought and felt untold ages ago" (13). Another purpose of the book was to entertain its readers and audiences. Reading Edith Hamilton 's collection of Greek and Roman myths gives its readers more knowledge about how ancient civilizations explained things. Hamilton 's purpose for writing this literary work was also to "make the reader see some differences between writers [of the original], who were so different" from each other. She accomplished this by writing short passages about the original writers at the beginning of each story. Her goal for this book was to be accurate and close to the original and for readers to gain knowledge of myths and an idea of what each original writer was like (Foreword). The organization and language of Edith Hamilton: Mythology is another way to analyze this book. Hamilton