The return of Ulysses : a cultural history of Homer's Odyssey / by Edith Hall.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hall, Edith, 1959- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Homer--Adaptations.

Homer.

Homer. Odyssey.

Odysseus, King of Ithaca (Mythological character).

Odysseus.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (306 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

London : I.B. Tauris, 2012.

Summary:

"Whether they focus on the bewitching song of the Sirens, his cunning escape from the cave of the terrifying one-eyed Cyclops, or the vengeful slaying of the suitors of his beautiful wife Penelope, the stirring adventures of Ulysses/Odysseus are amongst the most durable in human culture. The picaresque return of the wandering pirate-king is one of the most popular texts of all time, crossing East-West divides and inspiring poets and fimmakers wordwide. But why, over three thousand years, has the Odyssey's appeal proved so remarkably resilient and longlasting? Edith Hall explains the enduring fascination of Homer's epic in terms of its extraordinary susceptibility to adaptation. Not only has the story reflected a myriad of different agendas, but - from the tragedies of classical Athens to modern detective fiction, film, travelogue and opera - it has seemed perhaps uniquely fertile in generating new artistic forms. Cultural texts as diverse as Joyce's Ulysses, Suzanne Vega's Calypso, Monteverdi's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, the Coen Brothers' O Brother Where Art Thou?, Daniel Vigne's Le Retour de Martin Guerre and Anthony Minghella's Cold Mountain all show that Odysseus is truly a versatile hero. His travels across the wine-dark Aegean are journeys not just into the mind of one of the most brilliantly creative of all the ancient Greek writers. They are as much a voyage beyond the limits of a narrative which can plausibly lay claim to being the quintessential global phenomenon."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Contents:

Cover; Contents; Part One: Generic Mutations; 1. Embarkation; 2. Turning Phrases; 3. Shape-Shifting; 4. Telling Tales; 5. Singing Songs; Part Two: World and Society; 6. Facing Frontiers; 7. Colonial Conflict; 8. Rites of Man; 9. Women's Work; 10. Class Consciousness; Part Three: Mind and Psyche; 11. Brain Power; 12. Exile From Ithaca; 13. Blood Bath; 14. Sex and Sexuality; 15. Dialogue with Death; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612931888

9780755693894

0755693892

9781282931886

1282931881

9780857718303

0857718304

9781441681324

1441681329

9786000041267

6000041268

OCLC:

710975304