The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves Review

         

The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves is a retelling of the ancient Greek myth about Jason and the Argonauts. The most popular and acclaimed version of this myth from antiquity is probably the epic poem The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes, who lived in the 3rd century BCE. Graves took it upon himself, according to his very interesting introduction to this book, to compare and analyze existing versions of the voyage of the Argonauts and compose one compiled tale. His story is not supposed to only tell about the quest for the Golden Fleece, Graves also puts the Argonauts' voyage into a bigger religious and historical/mythological context, telling of how the Fleece came to be and why Jason was ordered to reclaim it from Colchis. So this novel does not start with Jason, but one or two generations before him, and tells of how the Olympic religious system developed. I can't really talk about how accurate all this is, as I am by no means an expert on antiquity and Greek mythology, but I have the impression that Graves is quite an authority in this field, so this seemed to be a good way to learn about the Argo. 

Now for my reading experience. Best grab a cup of tea (or a pot) and a snack, as this seems to be turning into a longer review. 

I have to admit that my feelings on this novel are rather mixed. On the one hand, it was truly fascinating, thought provoking and full of 'information'. This is not just an adventurous quest, it also analyses and explores heroism and faith. Jason is generally known as one of the greatest ancient Greek heroes, but this book seems to ask whether any of these characters are heroic at all. On the other hand, though, I could not help being bored and wishing the story to get a move on. 

The writing style resembles the epic form of classical literature, as far as I can judge that. As I said, I'm no expert, but Graves' writing reminded me of those few pieces of ancient literature that I have read so far. That is because there is no focalizer, so we don't really get the perspective of any of the characters, and the narrator is omniscient. Thus, the narration feels quite distant and detached. The style makes the narrative appear very epic and momentous, but also kept me from getting attached to any of the characters and I was never fully drawn into the story. 

Another point I was not too fond of was the explanations given for some other myths. In the introduction, Graves explains that many myths include magical creatures and supernatural elements as so called pictographs. This means that certain events were, for example, put into frescoes or onto vases, with some parts depicted metaphorically. Thus, the myth of the king Phineus and the Harpies who defile any nourishment in his proximity is explained as such a pictograph. The Harpies are not really birds with the faces of women in this version, but rather a trick played on the poor blind king. While this is an interesting take on such myths, it also takes away from the story's appeal for me. One thing I love about classical literature is the strong belief in, and acceptance of, the supernatural. Not everything is explained away and many things that we would call magical are taken for real in these stories. So I did not enjoy the parts where the author attempted to turn the supernatural into rational and 'realistic' events that could have happened like that. 

Apart from these two main peeves of mine, there were a few things I really liked about this books. First, there is the broad overview it offers over several myths and the religious beliefs of ancient Greece. The struggle between the Triple Goddess and Zeus, how there first seemed to have been a matriarchal religious system which was then turned into the patriarchal Olympic faith, was truly fascinating. This is the first time I came across the version where Hera wasn't originally Zeus' wife, but his mother and the ruler of all. I quite liked the way this struggle between matriarchy and patriarchy underlay the whole narrative. 

This underlaying theme of the story also made for a very interesting depiction of the great heroes and gods. Zeus, Hercules (as he is called in this novel), Jason and many of the others didn't appear as these awe-inspiring characters of mythology. Quite contrary, they were all very flawed, cruel and even incompetent. I don't want to give too much away, but Hercules was more of a comic relief figure in The Golden Fleece, while Jason was far from the confident captain and hero I expected him to be. 

I have always been a bit conflicted about Hercules as a hero. Yes, he masters all these very difficult and sometimes dangerous Labours set him by his opponent, but why would that make him a hero? The way Graves depicted this legendary figure, then, was quite to my liking. Hercules is first and foremost a brutal, vulgar, brawny and aggressive character. He frequently kills by accident and is quickly angered by the smallest things. He is also careless and sometimes even stupid. But Graves' Hercules also has some likable attributes and even shows sympathy for others in need. All this served to make him a bit of a silly and foolish character, and I often had to laugh out loud at him. 

Medea's role felt a bit underwhelming to me at first. I expected her to play a somewhat bigger part than she did, but what we get of her is very interesting. The Princess is usually known as this crazy and evil woman who falls madly in love with a hero. Here, her behaviour and motives are actually explored and explained. She is not simply evil and cruel, but a powerful woman caught between a rock and a hard place, who suffered from what her difficulties caused her to do. 

So, despite the rather dry writing and the lack of a focalizer, I did enjoy the characters quite a bit. The way Graves wrote some of these famous mythological heroes really made me think about what heroism really means in this context, and whether any of these characters really deserve their reputation. This, combined with the depiction of the Immortals who don't seem to care very much for their fellow gods or their believers, was what made this tale so thought-provoking to me. 

It's interesting how much I could say about this book despite the fact that I didn't enjoy it all that much. The more I think back on this novel, the more it grows on me. It may not be a very exciting and thrilling story, but it is still a rich and powerful narrative. If you are interested in these myths, I can recommend this book as a starting point. The Argonauts' quest is put into a greater context here, which is very helpful considering the sometimes confusing timeline of classical literature. 

So, while I was frequently bored by the plot in general and felt that the story did drag a bit, I was very impressed with the detailed information and the many ideas that are being explored. 

One last thing: I read this in the stunning Folio Society edition, which has the most beautiful illustrations. They really enhanced the tale and did contribute to the epic tone and my enjoyment of the novel! All this makes for an overall rating of three stars ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you for reading and congratulations if anyone actually made it through this review. I didn't think it would be that long, but isn't it interesting that one sometimes has more to say on not so great books than on those one really loved? I would love to hear your thoughts on this book or any points from my review you disagree or agree to! 😊💕