Showing results for "Homer" in Literary History & Criticism

Homer's Iliad is the famous epic poem set among the tales of Troy. Its subject is the anger of the hero Achilles and its consequences for the warring Greeks and Trojans. Unlike other books on the Iliad, this one combines the detailed expertise of a historian with the sensitivity of a teacher of it as poetry. Lane Fox goes on to consider hallmarks of the poem, its values, implicit and explicit, its characters, its women, its gods and even its horses. He argues repeatedly for its beautiful observation and addresses its parallel use of what is, to us, the natural world.

The Odyssey as we have it is an epic of over twelve thousand lines. It has been divided, like the Iliad and probably at the same time, into twenty-four books. Book number and line number are the standard terms of reference.

This guide opens up Homer’s The Odyssey and highlights the universal themes of endurance and longing for rest as displayed in this epic tale of a man trying to find his way home.

No one knows whether Homer was a real person, but there is no doubt that the epic poems assembled under his name are foundations of Western literature. The Iliad and the Odyssey—with their tales of the Trojan War, Achilles, Odysseus and Penelope, the Cyclops, the beautiful Helen of Troy, and the petulant gods—have inspired us for over two and a half millennia and influenced writers from Plato to Virgil, Pope to Joyce, and Dante to Margaret Atwood.

In Mythica Emily Hauser tells, for the first time, the extraordinary stories of the real women behind some of the western world’s greatest legends. Following in their footsteps, digging into the history behind Homer’s epic poems, piecing together evidence from the original texts, recent astonishing archaeological finds and the latest DNA studies, she reveals who these women – queens, mothers, warriors, slaves – were, how they lived, and how history has (or has not – until now) remembered them.

The roots of today's environmental catastrophe run deep into humanity's past. Through this unprecedented reading of Homer's Iliad, the award-winning classicist Edith Hall examines how this foundational text both documents the environmental practices of the ancient Greeks and betrays an awareness of the dangers posed by the destruction of the natural landscape. Underlying Homer's account of brutal military operations, alliances, and cataclysmic struggle is a palpable understanding that the direction in which humanity was headed could create a world that was uninhabitable.

The Odyssey is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems (the other being the Iliad), attributed to the poet Homer. The poem is commonly dated to between 800 and 600 BC. The poem is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, and concerns the events that befall the Greek hero Odysseus in his long journey back to his native land Ithaca after the fall of Troy.It takes Odysseus ten years to return to his native land of Ithaca after ten years of war; during his 20-year absence, his son Telemachus and his wife Penelope must deal with a group of unruly suitors who have moved into Odysseus' home to compete ...

Discover The Iliad, a gripping epic that chronicles the final weeks of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans before the fall of Troy. This prose translation by Samuel Butler, a renowned 19th-century novelist, brings to life a story that is both brutally intense, deeply moving, and strikingly relevant. With vivid imagery and raw emotional depth, this masterpiece explores the destructive rage that drives men toward their own downfall. Long before the rise of cinema, The Iliad had already mastered the storytelling techniques later embraced by Hollywood blockbusters, making its narrative feel...

The Odyssey is the original hero’s journey, an epic voyage into the unknown, and has inspired other creative work for millennia. With its consummately modern hero, full of guile and wit, always prepared to reinvent himself in order to realize his heart’s desire—to return to his home and family after ten years of war—the Odyssey now speaks to us again across 2,600 years.

Here are the most exciting and essential parts of two historic, epic poems: the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey". The ancient words of Homer find a new home in today's world - spoken aloud, just as Homer intended. Translated by Stanley Lombardo.

Legendary Ancient Greek stories.

The Iliad by Homer is a legendary sonnet set during the Trojan Conflict, zeroing in on the contention between the Greek legend Achilles and the Trojan sovereign Hector. The sonnet starts with Achilles' indignation after his authority, Agamemnon, claims away his reward, the lady Briseis. Achilles pulls out from the fight, prompting Greek misfortunes. As the Trojans, drove by Hector, make strides, Achilles' companion Patroclus wears Achilles' protection and is killed by Hector. Irritated, Achilles gets back to fight, kills Hector, and disrespects his body. At last, Lord Priam of Troy asks ...

This is a book about reading the Greco-Roman classics as Christians—the why, the how, and to a lesser extent, the when. This exercise, equal parts intellectual and spiritual, is timely. Just as our bodies are what we eat, so are our minds what we consume. The past few years have seen the appearance of books on the value of literature in nourishing our minds and souls—developing the practice of reading not just the Bible but all that we read for spiritual formation. Most such books have focused largely on medieval and modern literature, involving antiquity only occasionally.

In The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball, author Christian Sheppard interweaves Homer’s epics with glorious stories from the green fields of America’s pastime, celebrating Achilles’ courage and Odysseus’ cunning along with the virtues of Hall of Fame players such as Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth and of great teams such as the 2004 Red Sox and the 2016 Cubs. Along the way, Sheppard humorously recollects trying to raise his baby daughter true to the teachings of ancient myth and his beloved game.

The Odyssey is one of the two principal epic poems of ancient Greece, traditionally attributed to Homer. Often viewed as a continuation of the narrative set forth in the Iliad—the other Homeric epic—it holds a vital place in the Western literary canon. While the Iliad is considered the oldest extant work of Western literature, The Odyssey ranks as the second oldest. Scholars generally date its composition to the late 8th century BC, likely in Ionia, the coastal region of Anatolia. The poem centers on the adventures of Odysseus (known as Ulysses in Roman mythology), the king of Ithaca, ...

Christians Reading Classics Audio Lectures is a series about studying the Greco-Roman classics as Christians—the why, the how, and to a lesser extent, the when. Just as our bodies are what we eat, so are our minds what we consume. There is value in engaging with literature to nourish our minds and souls—not just the Bible but all that we consume for spiritual formation.

The Iliad, together with the Odyssey, is one of two ancient Greek epic poems traditionally attributed to Homer. The poem is commonly dated to the 8th or 7th century BC, and many scholars believe it is the oldest extant work of literature in the Greek language, making it the first work of European literature. The existence of a single author for the poems is disputed as the poems themselves show evidence of a long oral tradition and hence, multiple authors. The poem concerns events during the tenth and final year in the siege of the city of Iliun, or Troy, by the Greeks.View our entire ...

Here are some interesting facts about The Odyssey by Homer:The Odyssey is one of the oldest extant works of Western literature, dating back to around the 8th century BC. It is an oral epic, meaning that it was originally transmitted orally rather than in writing.The poem is divided into 24 books, and it tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus's journey home after the Trojan War. Odysseus's journey is long and perilous, and he faces many challenges along the way, including monsters, storms, and the wrath of the gods.The Odyssey is a complex and multi-layered poem. It explores a wide range of...

At the age of 48, film critic David Denby returned to his alma mater, Columbia University, to re-experience the core humanities courses he had taken as a freshman 30 years before. Facing the question of what he really knows, Denby re-examines the besieged Western classics, ranging from Homer, Sappho, and Sophocles to Dante, Nietzsche, and Woolf. What relevance do the writers and thinkers of the past have to our current life? The answer surprised Denby and will surprise and enlighten his listeners.