Reading the Odyssey: A Guide to Homers Narrative

(Hardback)

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A fresh and original introduction to the Odysseyand 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 Homers 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 survey of the history of the epics 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 and reflects on 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, to forge communities and to 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.

Author Bio

Jonas Grethlein is Chair in Greek literature at the University of Heidelberg. His books include Ancient Greek Texts and Modern Narrative Theory, The Ancient Aesthetics of Deception, Aesthetic Experiences and Classical Antiquity, and The Greeks and Their Past.