The Authoress of the Odyssey : Where and when she wrote, who she was, the use she made of the Iliad, and how the poem grew under her hands

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Butler, Samuel, 1835-1902

Contributor:

Jones, Henry Festing, 1851-1928

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"The Authoress of the Odyssey" by Samuel Butler is a critical study written in the late 19th century. This work explores the authorship of the ancient epic poem "The Odyssey," proposing that it was penned by a woman rather than the traditional attribution to Homer. Butler embarks on an argument that centers on the text's qualities and its geographic origins, particularly connecting it to Sicily and illustrating how these factors suggest a female authorial perspective. At the start of the book, Butler introduces his thesis regarding the female authorship of "The Odyssey," reflecting on how this perspective influences our understanding of the poem's themes and characters. Through a recounting of his intellectual journey, he expresses his fascination with the text and the riddle he felt while reading it. The opening also touches upon the scholarly debates surrounding the authorship of both the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey," providing context for his arguments by highlighting the numerous poetesses in early Greek literature. Thus, the beginning sets the stage for a thorough examination of the poem through a lens that challenges longstanding academic conventions. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Madelaine Kilsby, Laura Rodrigues Natal and Marc D'Hooghe

Notes:

Reading ease score: 70.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Release date is 2015-06-29