John Davidson

Geoffrey Miles

Paul Millar

Contending that James K. Baxter’s use of Greek myth is close to the heart of his poetic vision, this book draws on the subject’s entire career, mounting the first-ever sustained investigation of his vast corpus of unpublished poems. Baxter’s mythic figures and ambiguous symbols are explored, to which he repeatedly returned in his attempts to establish patterns out of the “chaos” of his experiences. Among the figures discussed in detail are the seaborn Venus; Dionysus, the liberating and destructive god of alcohol; the alienated voyager Odysseus; Theseus in his political labyrinth; and the hideous Gorgon—who also functions as the poet’s dangerous muse. Illuminating the complexity, adventurousness, imaginative energy, and unexpected wit of Baxter’s dealings with classical mythology, this volume sheds a new light on New Zealand’s most iconic poet. A comprehensive “Who’s Who” in Baxter’s work and a detailed bibliography are also included.

James K. Baxter and Classical Myth

The Snake-haired Muse

Brings together a range of English versions of three classical myths, allowing students to explore the ways in which they have been reinterpreted and reinvented by writers throughout history.

A Critical Anthology

Classical Mythology in English Literature

Classical Mythology in English Literature brings together a range of English versions of three classical myths. It allows students to explore the ways in which they have been reinterpreted and reinvented by writers throughout history. Beginning with a concise introduction to the principle Greco-Roman gods and heroes, the anthology then focuses on three stories: * Orpheus, the great musician and his quest to free his wife Eurydice from death * Venus and Adonis, the love goddess and the beautiful youth she loved * Pygmalion, the master sculptor who fell in love with his creation. Each section begins with the classical sources and ends with contemporary versions, showing how each myth has been used/abused or appropriated since its origins

Anna Jackson

Harry Ricketts

Tatjana Schaefer

Kathryn Walls

"Most New Zealand writing for young adults is designed to appeal to adolescents everywhere. Is there anything, then, that is characteristically 'New Zealand' about it? To what extent does it derive from local experience, or address a local audience? Focusing on a series of overlapping topics (race, sport, money, history, Englishness, future fictions, utopias and dystopias, religion and the 'Māori Gothic'), the contributors to this volume suggest that 'New Zealandness' is a sutble, at time almost invisible, but nevertheless pervasive concern in New Zealand young adult fiction"--Back cover.

Geoffrey Miles

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