In the ugly spectacle of American politics, it’s hard to keep humanity in sight. But literature, says a poet and scholar of the classics, can remind us of what we know about growing old.
A classics scholar reflects on Greek myths and what they can help us understand about recreating relationships – as a bridge from our past to present selves.
Ambition is a two-edged sword: both creative and destructive. Debate about its value has raged since antiquity and there is a long tradition of casting ambitious women as monsters.
Rachel Hadas says that despite the cascade of scary news, humans will adapt, as they always have – and provides evidence of that resilience in the literature she loves and teaches.
Families who lost their loved ones during the pandemic could not even properly grieve. Greek epics show why lamentation and memorial are so important and what we can learn in these times.