Helen of Troy: Beauty, Myth, Devastation
The mythic Helen of Troy, who, 2,500 years ago, set off a war that “launched a thousand ships,” need not be real, but the obsession with female beauty as blessing and curse surely is. Scholar Blondell studies the details behind the myth: Was Helen taken by the Trojan prince Paris or did she elope on purpose? Was she the scourge of ancient Greek myth or the object of worship? Was Helen a victim of her beauty or a free agent in full command of her power? As a stand-in for female beauty and sexual power, the myth of Helen and ancient texts written about the Trojan War are suggestive of male attitudes on control of women and what constitutes heroism. Blondell explores Helen’s relationship to other figures of Greek myth and her treatment by philosophers and historians, from Homer to Herodotus and Euripides to Gorgias, and examines the broader issue of perspectives on femininity represented by the myth of Helen. Readers need not be scholars of Greek poetry and culture to appreciate this engaging look at an epic tale with modern resonance. --Vanessa Bush