Tanglewood Tales #1


 This is my reading of the first part of the first story (The Minotaur) in Nathaniel Hawthorne's collection of Greek myths, 'Tanglewood Tales'. This part deals with the childhood and coming of age of the hero Theseus. The rest of Theseus' story will follow in due course. I am not sure why he called it Tanglewood, which has nothing particular to do with Greek mythology. It does sound like a great name for a rambling country mansion - apparently there are a number of pace in America names after this book but I could find no suggestion of where Hawthorne himself took his inspiration for the title.

The original of the book was published in 1853, the version of it I have (which contains only the three of the myths - there being six in the full version) dates from 1910 and was picked up or a few pence in a charity shop. It has a dedication on the fly-leaf reading "From Joan to Mollie, Xmas 1923", I guess they might have been sisters, cousins, or possibly school friends. I think one day I might write a short story based around a book dedication and the mystery it opens up.



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