Ecstasy and Terror: From the Greeks to Game of Thrones

Author Daniel Mendelsohn examines literature, film, television, and the personal essay, drawing insights from his classical antiquity training.

Some essays explore our culture’s Greek and Roman models, finding modernity in canonical works like Bacchae and the Aeneid, or detecting “Greek DNA” in responses to national traumas. Contemporary literature is also analyzed, from victimhood in Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life to the uncomfortable blend of art and autobiography in novels by Henry Roth, Ingmar Bergman, and Karl Ove Knausgård. Pop culture is included, with essays on Game of Thrones’ feminism and recent films about artificial intelligence. The collection also brings together award-winning personal essays, including his “critic’s manifesto” and a touching reminiscence of his correspondence with Mary Renault, who inspired his study of the Classics.

(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)