Reading the Odyssey
A Guide to Homer’s Narrative
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- 29,99 €
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- 29,99 €
Publisher Description
A fresh and original introduction to the Odyssey—and how it continues to shape literature, film, art and even the ways we make sense of our lives
Reading the Odyssey is an introduction to Homer’s masterpiece like no other. It combines a cultural and intellectual history of the epic with an in-depth exploration of its unique and influential narrative structure and the ways it continues to inform issues of identity, meaning and experience.
Reading the Odyssey begins with a broad history of the epic’s reception and interpretation, its place in cultural and intellectual history and its influence today on literature, film and art. After introducing the literary form of the Odyssey, the book turns to its main focus: the layered narrative that lies at the heart of the poem. Taking readers on a tour of the epic, Jonas Grethlein shows the nuanced ways the Odyssey uses a wide variety of narrative forms and functions. At the same time, he highlights how we all rely on narratives, first used by Homer, to form identities, forge communities and make sense of our lives.
The result is a compelling guide to the Odyssey that demonstrates why it continues to speak so powerfully to so many readers today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Grethlein (Ancient Greek Texts and Modern Narrative Theory), chair of Greek literature at the University of Heidelberg, serves up an edifying critical companion to Homer's epic. The theme of storytelling is central to The Odyssey, Grethlein contends, noting how narratives shape identity both externally (Penelope only recognizes Odysseus as her long-lost husband after he tells the story of how he built their bed) and internally (Odysseus processes the trauma of his encounters with the cyclops and sea monsters by recounting them to the Phaeacians). Illuminating nuances of the original Greek, Grethlein discusses how Homer's use of "words with the dai root, which are normally used for the division of bounty after war," to describe the suitors' plunder of Odysseus's home underscores how iniquitous their actions are, given they didn't defeat him in battle, and explains why Odysseus's retribution is so violent. Grethlein also provides insightful historical context that will help contemporary readers understand how ancient listeners likely received the poem, suggesting that its focus on plot over character development doesn't reflect a rudimentary understanding of psychology so much as a genre convention comparable to how James Bond novels emphasize "how Bond will manage to eliminate his adversaries" over "how his battles... will affect his psyche." This breathes new life into an ancient classic. Photos.
