A Return to Mythology

by Paula Gail Benson

I was excited to see The Odyssey as the big summer movie. I remember the joy I had reading Bernard Evslin’s The Trojan War, and very much anticipate watching Christopher Nolan’s adaptation.

Maybe another reason I feel “connected” to Nolan’s production is through the actor Logan Marshall-Green, who plays Melanthius, Odysseus’ disloyal goatherd. Logan and his twin brother, Taylor, are the children of my high school drama teacher, Lowry Marshall, and my college theatre director, Russell Green. I saw the twins as babies not long after they were born. After divorcing, Lowry moved to Rhode Island, where she taught students John F. Kennedy, Jr., and John Krasinski at Brown University. Fortunately, Facebook allowed me to reconnect with her a few years before she passed away. I know she would be tremendously proud of Logan.

Madeline Miller’s books The Song of Achilles and Circe drew me back to mythological reading. Miller’s work brings the stories to a modern audience. She’s extremely skilled at character development and helping readers understand what motivated these mythic and somewhat mysterious beings. I had the chance to meet her when she attended the Decatur Book Festival and was very impressed she had spent some time at Yale School of Drama to learn how to better portray scenes and action.

Currently on my bookshelf is the adult debut novel I, Medusa by New York Times best selling author Ayana Gray. The first book in her speculative young adult series, Beast of Prey, has been optioned by Netflix for a series. In I, Medusa, Gray explores the origin story of a young woman who becomes an acolyte for the goddess Athena then falls from grace.

Recently, I’ve come across another novel reinventing mythology. Ungodly Rich by Katharine McGee is recommended by People and Woman’s World magazines. It’s the contemporary story of Julia Dodds, a young woman working as a tour guide, who meets Harry Adams, an adventurer. There is instant chemistry. After they begin living together, Harry asks her to come home with him to meet his folks. The parents happen to be Zeus and Hera and Harry is actually Ares. How Julia navigates the modern pitfalls of becoming involved with the gods of Olympus is the story.

I’m looking forward to reading Gray’s and McGee’s books. I’m wondering how those works should be categorized. McGee’s sounds as if it might be considered “romantasy,” a combination of romance and fantasy. But is myth categorized as fantasy? Maybe it should be a corollary of speculative fiction called “mythic fiction.” What do you think?

Celebrating Readers and Writers

by Paula Gail Benson

KN Court Procedures Panel

The end of August and beginning of September turned out to be a banner time for indulging in my favorite activities -- travel and spending time with authors. Last year, at Killer Nashville, the wonderful Carol Wright proposed that a group of us, including Debra H. Goldstein, Bill Hopkins, and Carol’s husband, Bruce Murphy, present a panel about courtroom procedure at the next KN.

KN Thriller Panel

We all signed on and I planned to go a little early to spend some extra time in the area and have another chance to hear Jeffrey Deaver’s marvelous presentation about writing.

As usual, KN was a terrific experience. I always advise people, if you want to leave a conference with a boost to your writing, then go to Killer Nashville. The event is very open -- facilitating communication among the participants. The encouragement and support comes in welcome waves. The sharing of information about the publishing industry is invaluable as are the discussions about craft and the forensic presentations. I had the privilege of serving on three panels: (1) the court procedure one I mentioned, (2) a consideration of legal and political thrillers, and (3) a conversation among short story writers. Not only did I learn a lot, but I made and renewed some terrific friendships.

KN Short Stories Panel

Also, and I’ve admitted this to KN’s founder Clay Stafford and his lovely wife, Jacqueline, I did something I usually don’t do at a writing conference: I played hooky. On Saturday, I wasn’t scheduled for any panels, so I took the opportunity to explore nearby Franklin, Tennessee, and visit its farmers’ market. It was an amazing experience. Musicians entertained those who purchased their breakfast from food trucks. I met a lady who sold chess pies based on a family recipe. I also had some incredible seafood, fresh from the Gulf.

Franklin, TN, Famers' Market

In the evening, I had dinner at a wonderful French restaurant with Debra H. Goldstein, who I convinced to play hooky with me. Then, we went to Garth Brooks’ late show at the Grand Ole Opry. Watching the audience was as interesting as the performances. Garth was truly magnificent, returning to play a half hour encore.

Garth Brooks

I was preparing to leave Killer Nashville, thinking this has been a great trip, when I noticed that Madeline Miller was appearing at the Decatur Book Festival, a premiere event held each year on Labor Day weekend near Atlanta, Georgia. While the Dragon Con folks storm Georgia’s capitol city, the bibliophiles take over the smaller bedroom community. Between the heat and the crowds, you have to be resilient.

Madeleine Miller

But, if you’ve read Miller’s Song of Achilles and Circe (I blogged about them earlier this year), then you know why I couldn’t miss this opportunity to see my new writing hero.

I arrived early, and can you believe, Miller came into the venue right behind me. I stood gawking like a true fangirl as I heard the event coordinators talking with her about her leaving soon after the presentation to catch a flight. When they asked if she would like to sign books in advance, I spoke up, asking if I could follow, holding up my copies, then babbling, “You’re the reason I’ve come. I love your work!” The most gracious Ms. Miller offered to sign mine on the spot, so I was able to get a seat up front while she signed for others.

Later, I returned to the same venue to hear Karin Slaughter, who drew a crowd of about 400. I had not heard her speak before, but she was captivating and seeing her in Decatur made up for the fact that I wouldn’t be attending Bouchercon in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she was one of the honorees.

Karin Slaughter

Another great advantage to attending the Decatur Book Festival and Killer Nashville was seeing my friends from the Atlanta Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Their booth this year was featured with a listed schedule in the festival program. I also loved having time to catch up with Dorothy McFalls/Dorothy St. James (we always seem to meet outside our resident state) and new friend Roger Johns. Both of them have some great new books recently released. Also, while with Dorothy, I had the opportunity to see Nicole Seitz and hear about her new anthology of memories about Pat Conroy.

Then, on the way home, I got to spend time with two of my favorite retired booksellers, Fran and Don Bush. There’s no better way to enjoy time with readers and authors!

What conferences and festivals have you attended and which ones do you recommend?

 

Can Myths be Mysterious?

by Paula Gail Benson

One summer when I was a high school student assisting with Vacation Church School, I was assigned the duty of manning the supply room. This meant that I got to read until a teacher needed something. My perhaps unusual selection was Bernard Evslin’s retelling of The Trojan War. I was captivated by how the author brought to life the ancient gods and mortals, and I imagined how exciting the spectacle would be as a TV ministries featuring a well-known cast of actors.

This year, as summer begins, I find myself enthralled with another retelling of some of those mythological events, Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles. The novel, published in 2012, after Miller had worked on it for ten years, has been widely praised, and it won the Orange Prize for fiction.

Miller first became fascinated with Achilles’ story as a child when her mother read it to her. She grew up in Philadelphia, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Latin and Ancient Greek from Brown University. She also studied at Yale School of Drama, learning how to adapt the classic texts for modern audiences.

She tells the story from the viewpoint of Patroculus, Achilles’ chosen closest companion. Next to Achilles’ legendary achievements, Patroculus seems to be a mere helpmate and encourager. Yet, in Miller’s telling, Patroculus’s admiration for Achilles becomes the catalyst for so much that happens in the hero’s life. Watching the characters’ growth is a major draw to the narrative’s appeal. At one point, they pass each other, as Patroculus becomes stronger and more heroic in his own right.

Part of any retelling of any popular tale is determining how to keep it interesting for the audience that knows the ending. Miller is incredibly adept at immersing the reader in a new world dominated by connections to the environment. Her descriptions incorporate all sensory perceptions as they reference trees, water, foods, and cultures.

Each character is intricately drawn. At the beginning, Patroculus is a child -- ineffectual, dismissed, and used. His own crisis comes when he accidentally kills a playmate and is exiled by his father. He enters Achilles’ father’s kingdom where unwanted boys are fostered, potentially building an army, for which Patroculus is the most unlikely candidate. Eventually, troops from that island join Achilles and Patroculus at Troy as the Myrmidons or “ant men.”

A trajectory that is particularly fascinating is watching how Achilles moves from being the golden boy to becoming a war machine in search of reputation alone while Patroculus develops wisdom and compassion, unconsciously becoming the best of the Myrmidons who must fall before Achilles is defeated.

Miller chooses to portray the relationship between Achilles and Paroculus as a physical one. It’s a modern choice that is rooted in some ancient texts and critical analyses.

As I went through the novel, I found myself going back to Wikipedia and online sources to understand how Miller constructed the story, what she selected and what she discarded. Her decisions made the ancient world she created more vivid and more understandable in the reactions Achilles and Patroculus have toward women.

I recommend this novel for a number of reasons: to evaluate how the author portrayed both characters and plot, to admire the intricacies of her detailed descriptions, and to revel in her creation of a near-new world.

Already, I’ve begun her new work, Circe, a fascinating second book. Like Patroculus, Circe is an outcast; however, her life is in exile, rather than in the midst of wartime adventures. Circe sits on her island and hears stories of the outside world from Hermes and Odysseus. Yet, Miller keeps my attention by making me care about this immortal who is consumed by curiosity about mortals.

Are you a reader of mythology? What retellings have you found to be the most captivating?