We watched Troy, which is a pretty good telling of the story of the war between Troy and Sparta over the beautiful Helen, who was rumored to be as beautiful as some of the gods. This struck up an interesting little conversation as we realized that nobody has told stories the way the ancient Greeks told stories. Namely, The Odyssey, The Iliad, and others like it have been the epic tales by which all other tales are measured. But we know everything about the world, now! There are few mysteries on our planet that foster the kind of creative dreaming that the ancient Greeks were accustomed to. Sea monsters, sirens, cyclops, and vengeful gods are so far from our minds that we just forget to dream them up. I find that a little sad.
Maybe this is why the Harry Potter series has become so popular with people of all ages - JK Rowling does manage to dream up ideas, monsters, lifestyles, and adversaries so far beyond our everyday lives that reading her stories is captivating. I absolutely recommend them to anyone who likes a good story!
