Helen of Troy: Beauty, Myth, Devastation.

• Author: Budin, Stephanie L.

Helen of Troy: Beauty, Myth, Devastation. By RUBY BLONDELL. New York: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS. 2015. Pp. xvii + 289, illus. $24.95 (paper).

Blondell's book is a survey of the appearance of Helen of Sparta/Troy in Archaic and Classical Greek literature with accompanying commentary on a series of related themes. As the author notes in the introduction, "This book examines the surviving texts from the archaic and classical periods in which Helen has a significant presence, focusing especially on the twin themes of beauty and female agency" (p. xi).

Chapter 1 is "The Problem of Female Beauty," which considers the kalon kakon ("beautiful evil") paradox in Greek ideology. Here. Blondell considers the notion that while in males manly virtue inside is reflected in a fine and noble appearance outside (i.e., good guys are handsome), the opposite is true in females. Focusing on the creation of the first woman Pandora, created by Zeus to be an evil for hard-working men, Blondell explains the Greek paranoia that women's beauty exists to deceive men. Furthermore, because female beauty excites sexual desire, beautiful women themselves are more subject to desire, and thus, like Helen, are more likely to be errant in their sexuality.

Chapter 2 is "Helen, Daughter of Zeus," where Blondell touches on the various origin stories for Helen (e.g., daughter of Leda vs. daughter of Nemesis) and establishes the heroine as the archetypal bride, with all accompanying ambiguities. From this point in the book, the organization is mainly chronological. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with Helen's roles in the Iliad and Odyssey, respectively, while chapter 5 is a survey of Helen in archaic lyric poetry, specifically the works of Alkaios, Ibykos. Sappho, and Stesikhoros. Chapters 6, 9, and 10 look at Helen in Athenian tragedy, specifically Aiskhylos' Oresteia (where, admittedly, Helen does not actually appear), and Euripides' Trojan Women and Helen (where she does). Interspersed are Helen in Herodotos (chapter 7) and Gorgias' rhetorically flashy Encomium of Helen (chapter 8). The work ends with fourth-century Isokrates' own Encomium of Helen, offering a counterpoint to the rhetor's teacher Gorgias.

Each appearance of Helen in the literature is accompanied by Blondell's commentary on various aspects and interpretations of the texts. Often these pertain to matters of Helen's agency in her affair/abduction (are active or passive verbs used?), as well as her (potential for) guilt in the...