The Argonautica

This is an epic poem in four cantos by the ancient Greek poet, Apollonius of Rhodes. It tells the story of Jason and the Argonauts, the quest for the golden fleece, Medea's love for Jason and the myriad adventures experienced by the intrepid crew.

Apollonius dramatically closed the distance between the writer and the reader in what is, arguably, the prototype of a new genre in literature; the poet used the epic form to write a traditional tale of high romance and adventure, but the Argonautica is historically unique in its psychological insight and personal point of view.

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In ancient times, many legends were told around campfires and courtyards, legends of powerful men and ravishing women, blades and witches and dragons. For thousand of years, these stories were passed down from storyteller to storyteller, until one day, humans found they could write symbols on things and never have to remember a thing afterward.

Years later, this writing had evolved into a highly specialized art form known as poetry. This early poets wrote down the most fascinating legends, using their highly evolved sense of wonder and silver tongues to craft fine epic tales.

Apollonios of Rhodes never got the memo. Memo's hadn't been invented, and if so, he strikes me as the stubborn fool that would write the story of Jason anyways.

Argonautika revolves around the minor legend of Jason and his quest for the redemption of his father's throne. Even to the Greeks, I doubt he was that important. He isn't the most interesting character of this most uninteresting epic. That distinction belongs to Medea (yes, that Medea), a young woman who falls for a brown-eyed handsome man and betrays her father.

For my money, read Euripedes's play, or discover Jason's story through a modern retelling of the legend (heck, watch the stop-action movie, it's pretty straightforward). Just don't waste your time with Apollonois. Peter Green tries, but somethings are better left buried.

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Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1990)
"Similar in format to Fisher's 'Theseus and the Minotaur' (Holiday) is his presentation of another of the great classical myths. Once again, the dramatic impact of the story is visual rather than verbal, as the theatrical paintings, often exaggerated close-ups, entirely dominate the abbreviated retelling." Category: Nonfiction. 1990, Holiday, 32pp.. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration. ( )

Too many names, too disjointed, didn't know what was going on half the time. ( )