Andrew Lang’s narrative poem retells the legend of the Trojan War by centering on a version of Helen who is a victim of divine intervention rather than a willing adulteress. Aphrodite casts a spell of total forgetfulness upon Helen, causing her to lose all memory of her husband, Menelaus, and her daughter before she flees to Troy with Paris. The verses track the fall of the city and the subsequent destruction of the Trojans, presenting Helen as a ghostly, sorrowful figure wandering through the ruins while remaining morally blameless for the catastrophe caused by her beauty.
This book is intended for readers of classical mythology and Victorian epic poetry who seek an alternative characterization of the ancient world’s most famous face. Those who value formal meter and rhyme will find a technical execution of the narrative that aligns with the aestheticism of the nineteenth century. Readers finish the text with a revised perspective on agency and fate in the Iliad, having encountered a literary defense of Helen that shifts the burden of guilt from human desire to the caprice of the gods.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1882
- Language
- EN
