LEADER
Mark Cwik is a longtime seminar leader at Classical Pursuits. He specializes in literature from the ancient, mythic and religious world. Mark has organized and led great books seminars for adult readers for over three decades and is now managing director of Classical Pursuits’ partner organization Great Books Great Discussions (www.gbgd.org). He will be leading the CP Literary Retreat to Greece in March 2026.
BOOK
Apollodorus’ Library and Hyginus’ Fabulae: Two Handbooks of Greek Mythology translated, with introductions, by R. Scott Smith and Stephen M. Trzaskoma
(Hackett Publishing, 2007)
ISBN-13: 978-0872208209
When Arthur Evans unearthed the ruins of Knossos in the early 20th century, he revealed evidence of a sophisticated civilization on Crete that flourished more than a thousand years before Homer. This “Minoan” culture left behind magnificent palaces, frescoes, and artifacts, but its language and literature remain largely undeciphered, leaving us with only fragments of its story. What we do have are the many myths the later Greeks told about Crete—myths that offer a tantalizing, if refracted, glimpse into the world of this vanished people.
Crete looms large in the imagination of the ancient Greeks. Though separated from the mainland by the sea, the island became a stage for some of the most dramatic and enduring stories in Greek myth. This seminar will explore the rich tapestry of myths associated with Crete and consider why the Greeks so often set their tales of gods, monsters, and heroes on this island at the edge of their world.
Across three weeks of close reading and discussion, we will encounter the myths that made Crete famous in the ancient tradition: the abduction of Europa by Zeus; the birth of Zeus in a Cretan cave; King Minos and the dark fate of his wife Pasiphaë; the monstrous Minotaur imprisoned in the Labyrinth; the daring quest of Theseus, and his betrayal and abandonment of Ariadne; and the soaring tragedy of Daedalus and Icarus. We will also trace how Crete figures in the wider Greek imagination, from Homer’s references to the island and its many cities, to later dramatists and poets who retold these myths with new meanings.
PRACTICAL DETAILS
All online seminars are priced in Canadian dollars.
Once you register, you’ll get an order confirmation. We’ll send you the Zoom link and a welcome letter from your leader about 3 weeks before the seminar starts.
This seminar is a great way to deepen your tour experience! If you are registered for our March 2026 Greece tour, save 50% on the Iliad online seminar. Participants who intend to register for the Greece tour can take the discounted seminar price. In the event you are not able to book the tour, Classical Pursuits will charge for the remaining 50% of your payment.
Classical Pursuits will record this seminar, and make each session privately available to registered participants for up to two weeks after that session.
Online seminar payments are nonrefundable. Discount codes must be used at the time of purchase.
Seminar group sizes are a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 12. See full terms and conditions for Classical Pursuits online seminars. By registering for a seminar, you agree to abide by our code of conduct.
