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L4: The Odyssey 1: Classic Contexts - Coggle Diagram
L4: The Odyssey 1: Classic Contexts
Samuel Johnson
considers Shakespeare a classic
Outlived his century
Shakespeare's plays transit through generations and ages, no need for historical context or grounding
Characters are representative of human nature (the entire species) itself
Shakespeare and Homer have consolidated their 'classic' status through
canonicity
Canonicity endorses the text it embraces, transforms the texts into enduring cultural structures
Canonicity grants path dependence for the classics: once they are embedded in cultures, it is almost impossible to remove or forget them
As time passes, a classic's status as a classic only grows
Education systems contribute to path dependence, e.g. using Shakespeare on the syllabus, etc.
Classics can transcend time, but cannot fully shake off their origin
Racism, sexism, residues of old terminology and values are still present and seen in classics
We have a bifocal view and are permeated by a sense of historicism when we read classics
To
T.S. Eliot
, classics
exhaust
a society's language and art, leaving a sense of exhaustion for the following generations
Harold Bloom
discusses how modern day writers live under the tyrannical rule of the classics that precede them (
The anxiety of Influence
, 1973)
Eliot believes literary creativeness is a balance of: awareness of the past, originality of the living generation
Hans-Georg Gadamer
sees we all carry tradition from the past with us, but interact only with the present (
Truth and Method
1960)
The Odyssey
Widely considered a classic of the classics
Insightful and pleasurable generation after generation
Speaks into the profound and abstract qualities of human nature
Survived criticism as it passed through the generations
Haunts cultural products, e.g. film and pop culture (like Shakespeare)
Homer's works are theorised to have come from the
Archaic period
, where written works were on the rise
The Odyssey
differs
from the Iliad despite having the same epic form:
The Iliad is full of heroic characters fulfilling their destinies, gods and mortals, unified action in a single location
The Odyssey reads like a sequel, but is focused on an individual hero, Odysseus, and his return home, not a corporate goal: it is a tale of wanderings, a tale of return (
nostos
)
The Odyssey is the greatest and final entry for all return tales within the world of the Iliad: it is not an ensemble piece, but is driven by a single individual
Odysseus
Widely known as polymetis and polytropos; wily, ingenious, cunning
Genetically polymetis: both his parents are characterised by divine cunning
Maternal grandfather:
Autolycus
, known for thievery and blessed by Hermes, god of mischief
In some editions, Odysseus' true father is
Sisyphus
, who is archetypically cunning and doomed to eternal punishment in Hades
Athena
is his closest advisor and is goddess of crafts: she sprang from Zeus' head after Zeus swallowed Metis (literally 'cunning'), thus Athena is the product of Zeus and cunning, and puts cunning into practice constantly throughout the poem
Odysseus puts his cunning into practice just like Athena throughout the poem
Constantly tricking people: tells 5 completely false autobiographical stories, yet also boasts he is Odysseus
Represents every masculine quality idealised by men: leadership, sexually virile, proud, vengeful, a husband, father, and son
A
restless poem
that lacks the stability that Iliad has:
Non-linear
Odysseus
generates
the story, filled with polymetis: both narrative and characters work in symbiosis
Nostos
: return home, surviving lethal dangers and returning to tell stories of it
Polymetis
:
many
+
counsels
, i.e. cunning and ever-ready
Polytropos
: man of many turns
Oral-derived
aspects of the Odyssey:
Multiple genres and different forms of writing
Formulaic language and epithets (Odysseus = polymetis)
Similes and wordplay
Repeated scenes (e.g. arming of warrior, naming of ships), characteristic of orally told stories
Barbara Fuchs
argues that the Odyssey is the root, or is what
Hellenistic Romance
, traces back to
Homer
Obscure identity
Unparalleled fame
The Iliad and the Odyssey both recount the battle of Troy and, for the latter, the return of Odysseus
Both are epic in length but neither give any indication of Homer's true identity
We have lost the moment of creation of the Odyssey and the transition (oral to written) of the Odyssey
We have fundamentally lost Homer, as an author; following generations may grieve Homer and never know the one they revere
There are 2 theories for the
transmission of story
Dictation at specific artificial events
Scribe and rhapsode agree to meet in artificial place/scenario
Song that is transcribed is a co-production of rhapsode and scribe/collector
Evolutionary model over centuries
Epics evolve over time and then crystallise over the process of being retold for centuries
Reinforced by annual festivals in Ancient Greece
Festivals may have developed transcripts of the songs, making the story more and more solid over the years
Minna Jensen
writes that music, intonation, mimicry, interaction with audience and overall atmosphere of event are all lost in the passage from oral to written (
Writing Homer
, 2011)
Ankhi Mukherjee
believes there is codependence of the classic and the critic; the classic defines itself by surviving (
What is a Classic
)
There is a parallel of the classic and critic with
Odysseus and Penelope
:
Odysseus survives dangers (classic) and Penelope survives the classic suitors (classic)
In books 19 and 23 both test each other on their faithfulness and identities (critics)
