Key Facts
full title · Mythology
author · Edith Hamilton
type of work · Non-fiction
genre · Classical lore and legends, Norse legends
language · English
time and place written · 1930s,
United States
date of first publication · 1942
publisher · Little, Brown and Company
narrator · An omniscient narrator, suggestive of the author herself
point of view · Edith Hamilton's level and even-spirited scholarly
voice provides the general point of view. The stories are told by
omniscient narrators who are sympathetic to the protagonists yet
instantly aware of their weaknesses or foolishness
whenever it comes into play. Even these omniscient narrators have
plenty of equanimity and are not terribly engaged in the stories
they are telling.
tone · Edith Hamilton clearly admires the greatness of antiquity, although
at the same time posits myths as important mostly as progenitors
of “us” and “our culture.”
tense · Past
setting (time) · Ancient times
setting (place) · Greece and Rome, and, at the very end, Northern Europe
themes · The dominance of fate; bloodshed begets bloodshed;
the danger of arrogance and hubris; reward for goodness and retribution
for evil
motifs · The hero's quest; beauty; love
symbols · Cannibalism; art
