Lurid. The Amazons irupt into the Greek and Trojan battle, and fight both, without explanation. They are come to capture mates. Queen Penthesilea sets her sights on the highest game, Achilles, and pursues him tigerishly, past sense and her own people’s customs. She’s written with the vigour of any wild animal, and the verse is full of activity, chase scenes up cliff faces, spectacular action – described by witnesses, since it’s a drama, but that works. If you like tales of foes fascinated by each other, this is one of those, with an ending like The Bacchae crossed with the opera Salome (=lurid). A true contribution to Amazon fiction, from 1808 and startling today.

With sexual, animalistic illustrations by Maurice Sendak. ( )