Analysis of The Universe, the Gods, and Men: Ancient Greek Myths Told by Jean Book by Pierre Vernant - Essay Example

?Reflection Paper The Universe, the Gods, and Men: Ancient Greek Myths Told by Jean – Pierre Vernant Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 The Universe, the Gods, and Men: A Reflection 4 Conclusion 7 Works Cited 8 Introduction Myth and mystery goes hand in hand. It captivates life since inception. Mythologies are different in myriad parts of the world. Yet, all of them are equally fascinating and appealing. Also these mythologies across the world have some connections and similarities with each other. All of the great civilizations have its own myths and these myths make it enchanting and great in its own way. Ancient Greece has always been an appealing phenomenon for the inquisitive minds. It has many stories exclusively unique that reinforces the flavor of the land and its people. With war and kings, power play of the human, Gods and demy-Gods, Greek mythology is not less than a fairy tale. Jean Pierre Vernant, an eminent French historian and anthropologist with expertise on ancient Greece retells the enchanting story of the land of Titans and Olympians with an innovative style of recreation which makes his enlightening document, “The Universe, the Gods, and Men” widely acceptable and fascinating (Amazon.com, Inc., “Jean Pierre Vernant’). The Universe, the Gods, and Men: A Reflection Vernant is a veteran historian and renowned anthropologist. He has profound knowledge for the subject like Greek mythology. The book, “The Universe, the Gods, and Men” captivates the insight of Vernant. But that alone does not make the book timeless. He has made it a priority to relate the subject content of the book to the heart of every reader whoever picks it up. The original myths in the book appear with a very conversational style. This makes the book more attractive and easy to grasp. The entire mythology of ancient Greece is covered in the book. Vernant starts with the creation of the earth. How it has been produced out of a chaos. This event is followed by the castration of Uranus and the war between Titans and Olympians. Thereafter, the book focuses on the creation of Pandora, the first woman. The eloquent narrative of the book sets its readers into a journey through ancient time in Greece. The spectacular panorama of the Trojan War to the voyage of Odysseus appears before the eyes of the readers through the strong narrative style of the book, “The Universe, the Gods, and Men” (HarperCollins Publishers, “The Universe, the Gods, and Men: Ancient Greek Myths”). However, the purpose of the book, “The Universe, the Gods, and Men” is not merely story telling. And an in-depth study of the book would easily reveal this facet of the book in front of the readers. While recounting the great myths of Greece, the author unfolds multi-layered meanings of the stories and almost portrays the characters of the myths to make them existing. The author also takes the readers back to the origin of the civilization and the systematic unfolding of the events makes the picture of the entire mythology pretty clear and evident (HarperCollins Publishers, “The Universe, the Gods, and Men: Ancient Greek Myths”). The book also presents an impeccable psychological acuity. The book successfully presents the picture of a world exactly perceived by the Greeks ages before. The humans and the divinity seem to be situated at a distant end. Yet, both the realms are well connected since the inception of the world. The book “The Universe, the Gods, and Men” has successfully presented the intricate connections between the two separate realms of divinity and humans which actually complements and supplements each other since the period of its initiation. The human and the divinity share a very close and subtle relation within the limited space in this world. Their relationship is not only intricate but it operates within the space of the potent natural forces and the saga of this relationship finds an effortless expression in the narrative that retains the magical flavor of the myth at one end blending it properly with the inductive momentum of a spontaneous literary piece as well. The story of the Dionysus, the tragedy of Oedipus and the myth of the cinematic confrontation of the Gorgons with Perseus finds profound expression in the book. His stories centre round a volley of characters from the Greek mythology. Starting from Prometheus, Pandora, Odysseus and other legendary characters whose accounts are quite readable and the sources of the story are maintained accordingly, make it a worthy book. Any book owes its popularity to the anatomy invariably and the book, “The Universe, the Gods and Men” is a finely organized book with eight chapters unraveling the myriad myths of the Greek mythology like great stories unfolding one after the other along with a very informative introduction bearing the title, ‘Author’s Preface’ and ‘Glossary’. The eight chapters of the book bears the title, ‘The Origin of the Universe’, ‘The War of the Gods and Zeus’s Kingship’, ‘The Human World’, ‘The Trojan War’, ‘Odysseus: The Human Adventure’, ‘Dionysus at Thebes’, ‘Oedipus out of Joint’ , ‘Perseus, Death, and Image’. The introduction of the book gives a detailed explanation of the importance of myths and mythology in understanding the value of life and civilization. At the same time, the glossary of the books throws enormous light on many jargons related to history, anthropology and mythology making them crystal clear before the eyes of the readers. The concept of the “once upon a time” legend can be so evocative and persuasive on the minds of the readers and can be only perceived through this book (Vernant 3-185). Despite being so evocative and informative, the book is often misunderstood as a document conceived for the children. But the book only brings a presupposition that an adult is well acknowledged about the myths and in this book he is performing the role of an introducer who is opening the avenues of the magical world before the ever inquisitive mind of a child. The book is conceived with a particular vision from the author’s end. He is aware of the fact that any adult picking up the book will definitely enjoy reading it. But the danger lies if a child picks up this book and if it becomes his or her first encounter with mythology. Vernant strongly believes that learning about the myths is essential for every individual as it brings one close to his or her roots. And the complex stories might baffle a tender mind which in a way can create apathy for learning about the mythologies. To bridge this gap, Vernant consciously projects a conversational style between a parent and a child with series of inquisitions regarding the myths presented almost like a fairy tale in the book. Conclusion Mythologies are always like a valley eclipsed with impenetrable mist. They are surrounded by a halo of suspicion around them. But the book “The Universe, the Gods and Men” makes a c the Greek mythology get connected this way. The systematic appearances of these incidents or myths are as well a very challenging job which is accomplished by Vernant. The coherence of the book is fine and the language is so conversational and lucid that it gradually grows interest for the Greek mythology. The book is for the readers of all ages and is a very good book for the children and the beginners. While turning the pages of this mythological extravaganza, one is set on a ride through the timeless passage of wonderland stories which enchant, engross and elude the mind to a realm above the mundane world. Works Cited Amazon.com, Inc. Jean Pierre Vernant. Books, 2012. Web. 01 June 2012. HarperCollins Publishers. The Universe, the Gods, and Men: Ancient Greek Myths. Books, No Date. Web. 01 June 2012. Vernant, Jean-Pierre. The Universe, the Gods, and Men: Ancient Greek Myths Told by Jean-Pierre Vernant. New York: Harper, 2001. Print. Read More