The Odyssey : in two volumes. 2

· Harvard University Press
Ebook
465
Pages

About this ebook

HOMER, The works assigned to Homer include the earliest and greatest European epic poems, but nothing is known of their Greek author (if not authors) unless it is that his country was Ionia in Asia Minor. To the ancients Homeric poetry at first was all the old epics, especially about Thebes and Troy; then 'Homer' was credited only with the Iliad and the Odyssey which we still have, and some minor poems of which we include Homeric Hymns in the volume containing Hesoid. The 24 books of the Iliad concern the 'anger of Achilles' during the war of the Greeks against Troy, extending from Achilles' quarrel with Agamemnon to the burial of Hector. The Odyssey presents the fortunes of Odysseus and his son Telamachus after the fall of Troy, and Odysseus' return home to Ithaca and his revenge on the rapacious suitors of his wife Penelope. It would require a book to list the work of scholarship done on these marvellous narratives of which part at least of the greatness can be suggested in translation.
HOMER, The works assigned to Homer include the earliest and greatest European epic poems, but nothing is known of their Greek author (if not authors) unless it is that his country was Ionia in Asia Minor. To the ancients Homeric poetry at first was all the old epics, especially about Thebes and T...

About the author

Homer is the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, the two greatest Greek epic poems. Nothing is known about Homer personally; it is not even known for certain whether there is only one true author of these two works. Homer is thought to have been an Ionian from the 9th or 8th century B.C. While historians argue over the man, his impact on literature, history, and philosophy is so significant as to be almost immeasurable. The Iliad relates the tale of the Trojan War, about the war between Greece and Troy, brought about by the kidnapping of the beautiful Greek princess, Helen, by Paris. It tells of the exploits of such legendary figures as Achilles, Ajax, and Odysseus. The Odyssey recounts the subsequent return of the Greek hero Odysseus after the defeat of the Trojans. On his return trip, Odysseus braves such terrors as the Cyclops, a one-eyed monster; the Sirens, beautiful temptresses; and Scylla and Charybdis, a deadly rock and whirlpool. Waiting for him at home is his wife who has remained faithful during his years in the war. Both the Iliad and the Odyssey have had numerous adaptations, including several film versions of each.
Homer is the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, the two greatest Greek epic poems. Nothing is known about Homer personally; it is not even known for certain whether there is only one true author of these two works. Homer is thought to have been an Ionian from the 9th or 8th century B.C. While h...

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