Download Summer Reading, Mythology Study Guide and more Exercises Literature in PDF only on Docsity! Summer Reading, Mythology Study Guide The Why In the course of the next four years, much of the literature you read will contain allusions to Greek mythology. The stories of King Midas (Merchant of Venice), Jason and the Argonauts (Merchant of Venice), and Prometheus (Frankenstein) all figure prominently in works you will read at St. X. (You may have already come across allusions to Eros and Psyche in Ender’s Game.) Knowing these allusions will help you to have a much deeper understanding of and appreciation for the works that you read. In addition, the English language contains a considerable number of words and phrases that were born in mythology (martial, panacea, euphemism, narcissistic). As a result, the English Department at St. Xavier feels that freshmen students will benefit from having a foundation in Greek mythology before they even enter the building. The What To encourage dedication to learning these stories, students can expect an objective test on the content contained in Heroes, Gods and Monster of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin within the first week of school. The How You’ll notice that Evslin’s book is broken up into four sections: THE GODS, NATURE MYTHS, DEMIGODS, and FABLES. To assist students in learning this content, the freshmen learning team at St. Xavier has created a study guide so that students can get a sense of what to study. We have organized the study guide into the same groupings as the ones contained in the book. Please be diligent in your study of the myths. This task will be one of your first opportunities to demonstrate your preparedness for high school. Note 1: Because there are only two fables, they have been grouped with the DEMIGODS section. Note 2: Please note the files of JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS and of HERCULES. Although these two stories are not contained in Evslin’s book, they are referenced so frequently that we have added them to the summer reading. THE GODS Uranus Cronus Rhea Pan Cyclopes Briareus Parthenos Pallas Arachne “gray-eyed” Athens Thetis Nereid Naiad Amphitrite Horse Styx Charon Cerberus Tartarus Erebus Minos Rhadamanthys Aecus Sisyphus Tantalus Elysian Fields Fields of Asphodel Isles of the Blest Erinyes/Furies/”Eumenides” DEMIGODS AND FABLES Perseus King Acrisius Danae Dictys Polydectes Medusa Gorgons Talaria Gray Sisters 3 Nymphs of West Atlas Golden Tree Chrysaor Pegasus Cepheus Cassiopeia Andromeda Daedalus Talos Crete King Minos Queen Pasiphae Ariadne Phaedra Minotaur Labyrinth Icarus Atalanta Meleager Queen Althaea Atropos Hippomenes Theseus Corynetes Sciron Pityocamptes Procrustes King Aegeus Aegean Sea Pallas Jason Argo Phrixus Golden ram Pelias Lemnos Harpies Amazons Symplegades King Aetes Medea Apsyrtus Scylla Charybdis Talus Midas Apollo Pygmalion Cyprus Galatea
