University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

Arnold A. Markley professor of English

Book Title: The Greek Myths, volumes I and II

Author: Robert Graves

Selection Statement:

The study of Classical Mythology has been a passion for me and a theme that has run through my own education from childhood through graduate school. As an undergraduate, I was fortunate to have a course in Classical Mythology taught by Ann Deagon at Guilford College in which we used this title as our text. Graves’s monumental accomplishment here opened my eyes to what constitutes first-rate academic research and scholarship. A vast and extraordinarily exhaustive anthology, this work compiles all known strands of the Greek myths from the full gamut of ancient sources, carefully documenting exactly where each strand of each tale originates. Moreover, after retelling each myth in enjoyable prose, Graves provides fascinating commentary on what each story suggests to us today regarding ancient culture, folklore, and anthropology. This book contributed greatly to my decision to pursue a career as a scholar and educator, and it later aided me immeasurably in my research on my doctoral dissertation and first book project on Greek and Roman literature in the works of British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.


Year: 2009