Homer: The Odyssey

This handy guide will introduce students to a text that has been fundamental to literature for nearly 3000 years.

Jasper Griffin (Author)

9780521539784, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 10 November 2003

112 pages
19.9 x 12.9 x 0.8 cm, 0.12 kg

'… students and teachers alike will still find Griffin's Guide a lively and erudite vade mecum. Griffin's aim is to 'put the Odyssey into its historical setting, and to bring out its individual character', both of which he achieves with an admirably accessible level of high scholarship … this reprint of an outstanding little book is a must-have.' The Journal of Classics Teaching

This handy guide to The Odyssey will introduce students to a text, which has been fundamental to literature for nearly 3000 years. Readers will be introduced to the world in that the Odyssey was produced, to the text itself and to its origins in oral poetry. This volume gives a summary of the poem and examines its structure. The unity, values and techniques of the poem are clearly outlined, as are the reasons for its longstanding appeal. This guide delves into the diverse world of the story; that of monsters, gods, and enchantresses which interacts with the very different world of the home, marriage and the family. Students will be introduced to the essential themes of loyalty and betrayal, and guided through the narrative of Odysseus' adventures, which also illustrate the workings of the world and the justice of heaven. Readers will also find a very helpful guide to further reading.

Preface
Part I. The Making of the Odyssey: 1. The background of the Odyssey
2. The date of the Odyssey
3. Bards and oral poetry
4. The language of the Odyssey and the 'formulaic system'
5. Is the Odyssey an oral poem?
6. Alternative Odysseys?
7. How the poem comes down to us
Part II. The Poem: 8. Summary
9. Translating Homer
10. Shape and unity
11. The epic style: grandeur and realism
12. The epic: technique and variety
13. The Odyssey and the Iliad
14. Myth and folklore
15. Some problems
16. Men and gods
17. Men and women
18. Society and geography
19. The values of the Odyssey
Part III. The Odyssey and After: 20. The after-life of the Odyssey
Guide to further reading.

Subject Areas: Anthologies [non-poetry DQ]