The Critique Club meetings tend to be a free-for-all on a main theme. Naturally, I have a list of books and movies and plays (ooh, they're my favorite), but this week it's all Greek, anything Greek -- go for it! I'd love to hear all your thoughts at the next session. For example, The Clash of the Titans is a classic movie done decades ago (erg, even before my time) that has all the best Greek mythological elements: Gods meddling in humans' lives, the hero punished for nothing but overcoming any obstacle, beautiful princess, etc. It's a great movie for your parents to get all nostalgic about, too, so you should try to rent it and have a family night.

The best part about Greek stories is that there's something for someone at all ages. If you're younger, try tackling on some of the smaller stories like Hercules, Jason & the Argonauts, and Theseus and the Minotaur. If you want reading a little older than that, try material like abridged version of the Iliad and the Odyssey . If you want something slightly more advanced than that -- the Greek plays are the absolute best. There's Oedepis Rex, Medea, and Antigone. And if you want the whole shebang at once, try Bullfinch's Mythology. He doesn't miss much.

Don't forget the movies! There are so many great movies and shows with Greek Themes. Try out the absolute classics Clash of the Titans along with Jason and the Argonauts, Kirk Douglas's Ulysses, and Helen of Troy. You could also pick up the mythology-mangling (but all the same fun) Hercules by Disney or NBC's somewhat-more accurate TV version of The Odyssey.

Want to get some funny stuff? Try the ridiculous Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Forum -- and if you know your Greek literature at all, it's even more hilarious. You can watch the movie, read the script, or listen to the soundtrack -- or catch the musical, if it's showing near you.

And yes, we'll even talk about the campy TV Hercules and even the mythical myth of Xena, if you insist. ;-)

See you this Saturday, August 16th at 4:30pm WhyTime! And don't forget to read to the bottom of this article to check out our literature list and read some of the best books available this summer, before your school snatches up your brain and tries to run the Marathon on top of it....

Keep Musing,
Calliope

Summer Literature List (in no particular order)

Chaos *, James Gleick
20,000 Leagues under the Sea **, Jules Verne
Joan of Arc **, Diane Stanley
The Moon Lady and The Chinese Siamese Cat, Amy Tan
Eyes of the Dragon, Stephen King
Isle of the Dolphins, Scott O'Dell
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engel
The Bone Detectives: How Forensic Anthropologists Solve Crimes..., Donna M. Jackson
Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Once and Future King, T.H. White
Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller
The Call of the Wild **, Jack London
The Hobbit, JRR Tolkein
Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkein
Harry Potter, JK Rowling
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court **, Mark Twain
The Count of Monte Cristo **, Alexandre Dumas
Watership Down, Richard Adams
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien (made into a brilliant though dark animated movie)
Earth Abides, George R. Stewart (read mimiru's review!)

* These books are planned to be featured readings, so pick them up and enjoy!

** For younger readers or people without much time, you may read the abridged versions. However, the unabridged versions are the best for the discussion.

Books/Plays/Movies Already Discussed

The Hot Zone, Richard Preston
Outbreak, Robin Cook
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
The Cruicible, Arthur Miller
Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, Robert Heinlein