Reading the Odyssey

by Jonas Grethlein

ISBN: 9780691182490

Published: 2024-11-12

"This book serves as both a cultural and reception history of Homer's great epic, the Odyssey, and as an in-depth exploration of the literary styles that mark the narrative out as so unique and influential. It begins with a broad survey of the Odyssey's presence in intellectual history as well as in the arts today, in literature, art, and film, and goes on to familiarise the reader with the literary form of Homeric epic and all of its peculiarities, before focusing in on the book's central thread: the narrative. The Odyssey is not only a gripping story in its own right, it also features several stories within it: the recitals of the bards; the homecoming stories of the Greek heroes after the fall of Troy; Odysseus' own report of his adventures, and the falsified stories through which he conceals his identity. Narrative presents itself as a principal theme for a comprehensive reading of the poem, and at the same time speaks powerfully to issues of identity, meaning, and experience...