Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Published 1942 · 392 pages · 100,000 words · about 7 hours at an average pace · Anthropology & Folklore, Education & Reference, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction
How hard is Mythology to read?
Mythology scores 21 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it relatively accessible. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 30 out of 100
- Classical names and references. Otherwise clear, accessible prose.
- Sentence structure: 30 out of 100
- Abstraction: 25 out of 100
- Concrete narrative retelling. Mythological themes are implied.
- Information density: 48 out of 100
- Dense with names, stories, and classical references.
- Narrative indirection: 100 out of 100
- Direct retelling of myths.
- Symbolic density: 30 out of 100
- Myths are inherently symbolic, though Hamilton presents them as stories.
- Ironic distance: 100 out of 100
- Respectful, scholarly tone. Hamilton takes the myths seriously.
- Resolution withholding: 100 out of 100
- Each myth resolves. Tragedies end tragically.
- Structural complexity: 20 out of 100
- Organized by theme and tradition. Clear reference structure.
How Mythology is regarded
Mythology holds a literary regard score of 55 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.