Books With A Greek Chorus
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Loading... - Laoise Hogan
- 27 Jun 2022
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Possibly one of the most iconic Greek choruses is the one with the muses in Disney’s Hercules. Although they were never directly involved in the story itself, they were watching and commenting on everything that happened with some amazingly catchy tunes. With their many hit songs, Disney was actually tapping into an ancient Greek theatre tradition of using a chorós to comment on the dramatic action.
Using a collective voice with the pronoun “we,” a Greek chorus, which could be anything from 12 to 50 players, danced, sang, or spoke their lines as one. Although I’ve seen many a chorus while watching plays throughout my life, it was only within the last five years that I’ve began reading choruses in literature.
A good Greek chorus in literature really does take the omniscient narrator to the next level. It’s fascinating as a reader to see the story through the eyes of a collective. It’s something that we as humans do all the time when we gossip about the lives of others or partake in social commentary. In these situations, it does sometimes feel like the individual voice has been taken into the arms of a collective.
In literature, we’re almost always given the perspective through the lens of one narrator at a time, which means that pretty much every narrator has some factor of unreliability. But I have always wondered if Greek choruses, by nature of commenting as a collective are also unreliable. Do they have the benefit of multiple perspectives? Do they have the benefit of hindsight? Are they truly objective bystanders? Or are they operating under a herd mentality?
Either way, here are some great books that use Greek choruses to comment on the story.
THE MOTHERS BY BRIT BENNETT
The Greek Chorus: The Mothers
One of my favorite books on this list, The Mothers is an emotional tale set in a Black community in Southern California. The community is centered around its church, whose Mothers narrate the story of Nadia Turner. Young Nadia is reeling from the death of her mother and turns to the church pastor’s son for solace. The resulting pregnancy is quickly covered up, but some secrets refuse to fade away. Bennett’s prose is so beautiful and lyrical, and the ever-watching Mothers provide some insightful commentary on youth and love.
THE SECRETS WE KEPT BY LARA PRESCOTT
The Greek Chorus: The secretaries
I always have loved a good spy novel, especially one with a classic work of literature at its center. The Secrets We Kept follows two secretaries hired by the CIA to carry out an important mission at the height of the Cold War: smuggle Doctor Zhivago publish it, and then sneak it back in. The two secretaries at the center of the story propel the narrative forward. The Greek chorus of secretaries intersperse their take on the story throughout the book. It’s a fascinating read on how women can have their individual, powerful voices while also being powerful in a group. Read More...
