Disguise and recognition in the Odyssey / Sheila Murnaghan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Murnaghan, Sheila, 1951-

Series:

Greek studies

Greek studies : interdisciplinary approaches

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Homer. Odyssey.

Homer.

Epic poetry, Greek--History and criticism.

Epic poetry, Greek.

Odysseus, King of Ithaca (Mythological character)--In literature.

Odysseus.

Identity (Psychology) in literature.

Poetry--Psychological aspects.

Poetry.

Recognition in literature.

Disguise in literature.

Physical Description:

xvi, 145 pages ; 24 cm.

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Lexington Books, [2011]

Summary:

Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey reveals the significance of the odyssey's plot, in particular the many scenes of recognition that make up the hero's homecoming and dramatize the cardinal values of Homeric society, an aristocratic culture organized around recognition in the broader senses of honor, privilege, status, and fame. Odysseus's identity is seen to be rooted in his family relations, geographical origins, control of property, participation in the social institutions of hospitality and marriage, past actions, and ongoing reputation. At the same time, Odysseus's dependence on the acknowledgment of others ensures attention to multiple viewpoints, which makes the Odyssey more than a simple celebration of one man's preeminence and accounts in part for the poem's vigorous afterlife. The theme of disguise, which relies on plausible lies, highlights the nature of belief and the power of falsehood and creates the mixture of realism and fantasy that gives the Odyssey its distinctive texture. The book contains pioneering analysis of the role of Penelope and the questions of female agency and human limitation raised by the critical debate about when exactly she recognizes that odysseus has come home.

Sheila Murnaghan is professor of classical studies and Alfred Reginald Allen Memorial Professor of Greek at The University of Pennsylvania. She is coeditor of Women and Slaves in Greco-Roman Culture: Differential Equations. Book jacket.

Contents:

Preface

Recognition and the return of Odysseus

Odysseus and the suitors

Recognition and hospitality

Penelope

Recognition and song

Conclusion 119.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

0739129538

9780739129531

OCLC:

670479213

Publisher Number:

99944079581