Perfidy and passion : reintroducing the Iliad / Mark Buchan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Buchan, Mark, 1966-

Series:

Wisconsin studies in classics.

Wisconsin studies in classics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Epic poetry, Greek--History and criticism.

Epic poetry, Greek.

Homer. Iliad.

Homer.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (217 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Madison : University of Wisconsin Press, c2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Homer's Iliad is often considered a poem of blunt truthfulness, his characters' motivation pleasingly simple. A closer look, however, reveals a complex interplay of characters who engage in an awful lot of lies. Beginning with Achilles, who hatches a secret plot to destroy his own people, Mark Buchan traces motifs of deception and betrayal throughout the poem. Homer's heroes offer bluster, their passion linked to and explained by their lack of authenticity. Buchan reads Homer's characters between the lies, showing how the plot is structured individual denial and what cannot be said.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

Introduction: Riddles of Identity in the Iliad

1. The Tragedy of Achilles: The Iliad as a Poem of Betrayal

2. Comedy and Class Struggle

3. The Politics of Poetry

4. The Poetry of Politics

5. Couples: The Iliad on Intimacy

6. Flirtations

7. The Afterlife of Homer

Conclusion: How to Sum Up the Iliad in a Riddle

Notes

References

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781283692090

1283692090

9780299286330

0299286339

OCLC:

814694118