Portland Classical and Medieval Book Club

Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, and an intriguing interpretation of British history--these are just some of the themes embraced by the anonymous authors of the eleven tales that make up the Welsh medieval masterpiece known as the Mabinogion. They tell of Gwydion the shape-shifter, who can create a woman out of flowers; of Math the magician whose feet must lie in the lap of a virgin; of hanging a pregnant mouse and hunting a magical boar. Dragons, witches, and giants live alongside kings and heroes, and quests of honour, revenge, and love are set against the backdrop of a country struggling to retain its independence.

This new translation, the first for thirty years, recreates the storytelling world of medieval Wales and re-invests the tales with the power of performance.

Join us for a yuletide potluck feast and symposium! The Classical and Medieval book club will be meeting at Scott’s apartment (Denizen — 2050 NE Hoyt Street) to enjoy a night of eating, drinking, and reading aloud passages of your choosing. We will bring some selections for those who cannot decide, but this is your chance to read whatever you like and share your bard chops with your fellow peasants. Read some Chaucer, delight us with a passage of Ovid or Aristophanes, bring down the mood with a bit of Euripides. Memorized or read aloud, we’ll cheer you on with a flagon of ale or a glass of Bacchus’s wine!? This is a BYOB and food event, as well as BYOT (bring your own toga— but any themed costume will do and costumes are ENCOURAGED but NOT REQUIRED). Any questions about the event please direct to Caitlin by message. We hope to see you there :)

Classical stories about women who wield power from the Amazons to Dido to Cleopatra. There is no other anthology that brings together similar stories of ancient women in power. These women threaten male power by stepping into the roles traditionally held by men. They command armies, exercise sexual autonomy and even dominance, speak in public, issue laws, and subject others (even masculine heroes and citizen men) to their control. All of these stories were written by men, and none of them can be read as affirmations or celebrations of women in power. They are instead misogynistic tales that aim to shore up masculine authority by exposing the consequences when women rather than men wield it.The sexist attitudes voiced in these stories continue to justify women’s exclusion from power in our contemporary world. Yet, despite the fear and suspicion the male authors direct toward these women, we can find much to admire in their tales, from the coordinated action of the women of Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen, to Dido’s questioning of the male value system that leads Aeneas to abandon her, to the righteous anger of Boudicca against sexual violence by men in power, to the successful resistance of Amanirenas against Rome’s colonial expansion. Read differently, these tales testify to the long history of women in power and help us forge new paths for female empowerment.