The Great Courses: Classical Mythology

 

Classical culture is the single greatest influence on our modern day society.  From Apollo to Zeus we are beholden to the myths and legends that shaped a culture that shaped our view on politics, law, nature, medicine, literature, history, and our place in the universe.  Our country is based on ideas of democracy that found their origins in the Agoura of Athens.  Our political system is a representative democracy very much like that known by the Romans.  Without the clear insight and profound truths discovered by the ancient authors are world would be unrecognizable and probably a much poorer place. It therefore behooves us to understand the stories that shaped the world of these men.

 

The great courses are a series of college courses offered on DVD, audio, and streaming.  They are taught by the leading academics in their fields.  Now you can learn from the same men and women who teach in the finest universities in our nation.  Each lesson is 30 minutes long.  Each course ranges according to the amount of material necessary to cover it.

 

This particular course, Classical Mythology by Prof. Elizabeth Vandiver is 24 lectures long; meaning about 12 hours of material. My own personal version is audio streaming which I enjoy upon my smart phone. Therefore, I cannot comment on the quality of the visual content of the course.  That said I found it a thoroughly pleasurable experience start to finish. Prof. Vandiver has a clear grasp of the issues that arise in looking back on historical aspects through the filter of our greater understanding.  But Prof. Vandiver always puts the historical perspective in perspective and helps us to see the myths as they were seen by the people sharing them.

 

One would not think that something as fantastical as the Minotaur would have a basis in historical fact; yet Prof. Vandiver shows us how the great Minoan civilization with its mazelike palace at Knossos, and murals of use vaulting over bull’s and the Minoan fascination with bulls led to the story of Theseus defeating the monster in the labyrinth.  Likely a discussion of the changing power between the declining Minoan culture and the rising Athenian culture, Theseus represents the new order, the Minotaur, the old. Taken in this light his story is one of the nations, not individuals.

 

Consider then the enormous impact of Shakespeare upon all English literature. Consider also that Shakespeare’s main influence appears to of been the Roman poet Ovid, particularly his work Metamorphoses. The main difficulty in understanding Shakespeare is not in the richness of his language but in the paucity of our understanding of the classical references that are liberally season his works.  An understanding of the allegory and metaphor of classical mythology greatly enhances the understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s genius.

 

I read this for winter break between semesters. My friends could not understand why I would choose another course as recreation in graduate school.  Yet I find the break from psychology refreshing but the subject matter enriching to my understanding of man, his inner workings, and his relationship to both society and eternity. My field of endeavor, psychology, owes its very name to the lover of Eros, Psyche. So how can we have a true understanding of the world we live in if we do not understand the soil it grew from?  This course gives an excellent overview of classical mythology the issues addressed in the field of study, and whets the appetite for a deeper understanding.  What more could you ask for?