HELEN OF TROY: A NOVEL PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Margaret George | 540 pages | 05 Jan 2007 | Pan MacMillan | 9780330418911 | English | London, United Kingdom Helen of Troy: A Novel PDF Book There were three at least versions of the death of Helen, occurring in different places. We meet Helen as a young girl, a princess fated by the extraordinary circumstances of her birth to become the most beautiful mortal woman on earth. Interestingly, the subject of these was not what lay around her in the Middle East, but the American west, which she had never set foot in. Clader argues that, if indeed Helen was worshiped as a goddess at Therapne, then her powers should be largely concerned with fertility, [83] or as a solar deity. In Euripides 's tragedy The Trojan Women , Helen is shunned by the women who survived the war and is to be taken back to Greece to face a death sentence. Now how can we help but like, even admire, such a character? Jan 25, Robert Case rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: lovers of myth, historical fiction and fans of Margaret George. The only human emotions allowed to be portrayed in this book are emotions that fit comfortably within the realm of modern paperback romance. King Proteus of Egypt , appalled that Paris had seduced his host's wife and plundered his host's home in Sparta, disallowed Paris from taking Helen to Troy. How can I capture the excitement, the dread of this event? The primary source for her legend is, of course, Homer. And this was probably why I remained not fully involved in the story. Other times it was like, "get on with it already! Bell and Sons, Limited. Although Helen and Paris go through a rough spot in their marriage, George has them cleave to each other to the end. George's Menalaus is a good guy who understands Helen's need for quiet amid the storm of gossip. The New Yorker. Clader, Linda Lee And then the devastation of war and the price paid by innocent civilians and bystanders, and the long aftermath of waste and loss. The fall of Troy came to represent a fall from an illustrious heroic age, remembered for centuries in oral tradition before being written down. The Helen of this book is influenced by but not essentially deceived by Aphrodite. After that first glimpse she knows what true desire feels like. Helen starts out quite ordinary despite her half immortal parentage, except in the area of her startling appearance. Before Menelaus married Helen, Helen's earthly father Tyndareus extracted an oath from these, the Achaean leaders, that should anyone try to kidnap Helen again, they would all bring their troops to win back Helen for her rightful husband. This book would have been truly fantastic to read as a complete historical epic. That is what separates children from adults. Book VI. Finally, Menelaus retrieves Helen. Helen of Troy: Beauty, Myth, Devastation. If you really want to know what Helen of Troy looked like, the answer is that she looked however you personally imagine her to have looked because she is a fictional character and you can imagine her however you want. Lithographic illustration by Walter Crane. Zeus father Leda mother. Helen resembled Castor and Pollux. From there on, the reader must suffer along with the women left behind in the city, for we know what is coming. Then I heard her speak at the Tucson Festival of Books, and I realized she is both very smart and has a great deal of integrity about just that issue. Thompson, Diane P. Without the gods, much of the motivation of the human characters collapses. The book is long. Helen and Mary Magdalene both are linked with Sophia, the spirit of wisdom. Polygnotos and Vase Painting in Classical Athens. We like seeing how he gets out of scrapes, and he is endlessly resourceful and entertaining, and his wiliness serves him well. As you suggest, I felt that Paris knew it would be taken the wrong way by Helen and might sow seeds of doubt in her mind that he had freely chosen her. While Priam is supplicating Achilles, a moment of understanding passes between them during which Achilles sees in Priam his own aged father whom he will never see again, and Priam sees in Achilles the glory of his own dead son Hector and is comforted in the fact that Hector has been killed by such a noble soldier. Helen of Troy: A Novel Writer How does George get around this inevitable conclusion? In Hunter, Richard L. Artists of the s and s were influenced by Guido delle Colonne 's Historia destructionis Troiae , where Helen's abduction was portrayed as a scene of seduction. Are there sources for these? Her marriage at the end of that time meant moving, first to St. Helen loves Paris' empathy towards other people. Sextus Propertius. From there she proceeds to tell her entire story, beginning with her childhood in Sparta. Simply put, I feel in love with Troy, Paris, and this book. He is also the engineer for unconventional warfare. Zeus father Leda mother. I couldn't feel sorry for Helen, and found it sort of cheap that the "Gods" interfered with Helen's emotions in order to make her fall in love with Paris. The magical sorceress-like character that sometimes appears in the myths and Homer is not present here except in rumors that Helen rejects. I am Spencer Alexander McDaniel. She was voiced by Jodi Benson. Truman State University. Trivia About Helen of Troy. But after readi It's a perfectly adequate version of the story where Paris is noble, Menelaus is a chump, Agamemnon is a dick, and Helen just can't help herself. The author did a beautiful job of telling the story of Helen of Sparta, later Helen of Troy from a perspective which seamlessly submerges you into the Trojan War. Do you find Paris heroic in this novel? Helen resembled Castor and Pollux. For the play, see Helen of Sparta play. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. I felt as though I could smell the sea, feel the wind, and touch every blade of grass. Instead, George turned her into a whiney, childish, frightened woman and the only reason I finished this book was because it was hot in my apartment, I didn't want to move and I have weekends off. Helen and Mary Magdalene both are linked with Sophia, the spirit of wisdom. The origins of Helen's myth date back to the Mycenaean age. The glory is short-lived. Overall, this book is great for lovers of Greek myths and epic love stories. It seems that the Greek gods are a fickle bunch and they were only worshiped out of fear of incurring their wrath. Helen of Troy: A Novel Reviews Telling the story of Helen of Troy, the face that started it all, it's clear that Ms George put in rather a lot of research. Because the Trojan alliance finally came to Troy's defense, they had enough men for a frontal assault against the Greeks. George's Menalaus is a good guy who understands Helen's need for quiet amid the storm of gossip. Oct 20, Natasa rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites , ancient-greece. Menelaus and Helen rule in Sparta for at least ten years; they have a daughter, Hermione , and according to some myths three sons: Aethiolas , Maraphius , and Pleisthenes. I couldn't feel sorry for Helen, and found it sort of cheap that the "Gods" interfered with Helen's emotions in order to make her fall in love with Paris. Notify me of new posts by email. An enemy seen a far way off cannot surprise. I have been a fan of Greek mythology since my early childhood. Margaret George. III, This is not, however, the case with certain secular medieval illustrations. In most accounts of this event, Helen was quite young; Hellanicus of Lesbos said she was seven years old and Diodorus makes her ten years old. This book was filled with poetic moments of innocence and beauty, as the story is beautifully told through the POV of Helen. What was really entertaining about this novel is that George really captured the beguiling charm of a good ol' Greek myth in its setting. Is this on par with Madeline Miller's retelling of the myths Song of Achilles and Circe , or will I be disappointed if that's the caliber of writing and detail that I'm expecting? Troy: from Homer's Iliad to Hollywood. Paris think fate is fate and nothing can change it. Margaret George b A lush, seductive novel of the legendary beauty whose face launched a thousand ships Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Have you visited the archaeological remains of Troy in Hissarlik, Turkey? Helen and Mary Magdalene both are linked with Sophia, the spirit of wisdom. Preview — Helen of Troy by Margaret George. Cornell University Press. Moser, Thomas C. Ultimately, Paris was killed in action, and in Homer's account Helen was reunited with Menelaus, though other versions of the legend recount her ascending to Olympus instead. The swan gained her affection, and the two mated. Mary Magdalene was also infused with Sophia and recognized by Jesus as such in the Gnostic gospels. Deiphobus and Antimochus were Trojan equivalent of Agamemnon. Christianity, more immediate and more reassuringly personal, guided them in new spiritual directions.