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Library | Material Type | Shelf Number | Child Count | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Science | Book | 883.01 H752O YJ, 2003 | 1 | Stacks | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Science | Book | 883.1 H75U | 1 | Stacks | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
For thousands of years, The Odyssey has resonated throughout the Western world. Homer has been an original source of inspiration to writers, painters, sculptors, and filmmakers, as well as a vital source of information about the mythology, history, and culture of ancient Greece. This casebook uniquely blends commentary and primary documents, situating the epic within historical contexts that are important for students to understand.
The literary analysis chapter is ideal for readers coming to The Odyssey for the first time, introducing the work with a chronology of events and identification of major characters and themes. Topical chapters carefully consider matters of mythology, geography, archeology, and class issues pertinent to The Odyssey . Excerpts from classical and scholarly sources, including Herodotus, Plato, Thucydides, and Bulfinch, help students understand the historical framework, and materials from government documents and newspaper accounts help students make connections between The Odyssey's thematic ideas and current events, such as the September 11th attacks and the ongoing conflict in Ireland.
Reviews (1)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 Up-Complementary aids to one of the West's foundational works. After an analysis of central themes, the Johnsons devote six chapters to context (mythology, geography, archaeology, history, the Trojan War, and the social structures of the Achaeans). They close by examining contemporary echoes of the issues of revenge, athletics, and the heroic ideal. Each chapter also includes relevant documents, projects or questions for exploration, and a bibliography. Little attention is paid to the Internet, and there are two abominable maps, but this is an intelligent and well-conceived book. Morrison takes readers book-by-book through the epic. Opening chapters discuss structure, the oral tradition, Homeric values, and history. The author's style is enthusiastic and takes a personal tone. The informative text and sidebars provide a wealth of information on literary form, themes, techniques, background, context, linguistic insights, and later influence. A few black-and-white pictures show Greek artworks or artifacts, and the three small maps are useful. Brief appendixes cover pronunciation, the literary legacy, further reading, online connections, and more. Although accessible and engaging rather than scholarly and exhaustive, Companion does go beyond the guides available online. Neither book ties itself to a single translation; both open the epic to first-time readers. If your budget will stretch to only one title, the Johnsons' volume is the one of choice. It will save students and teachers many hours because it gathers together excerpts from ancient and modern writers to expand the points at which readers might connect to this immortal epic.-Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George's School, Newport, RI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Introduction | p. xiii |
| 1. A Literary Analysis of Homer's The Odyssey: Transformation and Return | p. 1 |
| 2. Greek Mythology and Homer | p. 15 |
| from: The Age of Fable (1898) | p. 28 |
| from: The Histories, Book II, trans. Henry Cary (1854) | p. 30 |
| from: Theogony, in Hesiod: The Homeric Hymns and Homerica, trans. Hugh G. Evelyn-White (1914) | p. 32 |
| from: Manual of Mythology (1888) | p. 37 |
| from: Guide to Greece, Book VIII, trans. W.H.S. Jones (1933) | p. 43 |
| from: The Republic, Books II and III, in The Dialogues of Plato, trans. Benjamin Jowett (1871) | p. 45 |
| 3. The Geography of The Odyssey | p. 55 |
| from: The Geographic Background of Greek and Roman History (1949) | p. 63 |
| from: The Geography of Strabo, vol. 3, trans. Horace Leonard Jones (1917) | p. 65 |
| from: The Histories, vol. 1, trans. Benjamin Jowett (1900) | p. 67 |
| from: The Ulysses Voyage (1987) | p. 68 |
| 4. Archaeological Excavations Pertinent to Homer's Epics | p. 71 |
| from: The Palace of Minos, vol. 2, (1928) | p. 77 |
| from: Mycenae (1880) | p. 80 |
| from: The Mycenaean Age (1897) | p. 83 |
| 5. The Historical Context of The Odyssey | p. 87 |
| from: Thucydides, The Histories, vol. 1, trans. Benjamin Jowett (1900) | p. 97 |
| from: The Greek Achievement (1999) | p. 99 |
| from: A History of Greece (1927) | p. 100 |
| from: Greece in the Making (1996) | p. 102 |
| 6. The Trojan War of Myth and Legend | p. 107 |
| from: The History of Herodotus, trans. George Rawlinson (1928) | p. 118 |
| from: Thucydides, The Histories, vol. 1, trans. Benjamin Jowett (1900) | p. 122 |
| from: A History of Greece (1927) | p. 124 |
| from: Troy and the Trojans (1963) | p. 126 |
| 7. Supporting Players in The Odyssey: The Underclasses | p. 131 |
| from: Works and Days, in Hesiod, trans. Hugh G. Evelyn-White (1914) | p. 136 |
| from: In Search of the Trojan War (1985) | p. 138 |
| from: Politics (1944), trans. Harris Rackham | p. 139 |
| 8. Modern Applications: The Problem of Revenge | p. 143 |
| from: The Eumenides, trans. Philip Vellacott (1956) | p. 151 |
| 2from: "Arsonists Burn 10 Catholic Churches in Ulster," New York Times (July 3, 1998) | p. 153 |
| from: "Ulster Foes Suspend a Last-Ditch Effort to Avoid a Clash After Slight Progress," New York Times (July 12, 1998) | p. 154 |
| from: "Three Catholic Brothers Killed in Fire, Stunning Ulster and Raising Fears," New York Times (July 13, 1998) | p. 155 |
| from: "Israel Strikes Hard at Gaza Strip," New York Times (March 7, 2002) | p. 157 |
| from: "For Fatah, Only a War Can Bring Peace to the Mideast," New York Times (March 7, 2002) | p. 157 |
| from: "The War Against America. An Unfathomable Attack," New York Times (September 12, 2001) | p. 159 |
| from: "Administration Considers Broader, More Powerful Options for Potential Retaliation," New York Times (September 13, 2001) | p. 160 |
| from: "For Many, Sorrow Turns to Anger and Talk of Vengeance," New York Times (September 14, 2001) | p. 161 |
| 9. Contemporary Applications: The Athlete and Athletics | p. 165 |
| from: An Illustrated History of the Olympics (1963) | p. 172 |
| from: "Gold Medal for Jesse Owens," Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and Coinage, 100th Congress, July 12, 1988 (1988) | p. 175 |
| from: Athletes and the American Hero Dilemma (1994) | p. 179 |
| 10. Modern Applications: The Evolution of the Heroic Ideal | p. 183 |
| from: Sergeant York: His Own Life Story and War Diary, ed. Tom Skeyhill (1928) | p. 192 |
| from: Official Narrative for Medal of Honor Recipient Murphy, Audie L.; Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients (1973) | p. 203 |
| from: testimony, in Report of the Department of the Army Review of the Preliminary Investigation into the My Lai Incident (1970) | p. 207 |
| from: The Soldier's Medal for Heroism Awarded to Hugh C. Thompson, Jr. (1998) | p. 209 |
| from: "Rescue Workers Rush In, but Many Do Not Return," New York Times (September 12, 2001) | p. 212 |
| from: "It's a Hero's Welcome for FDNY Firefighter," The Journal (Richmond, CA), (March 8, 2002) | p. 213 |
| from: "Mark Bingham Remembered," The Journal (Richmond, CA), (March 8, 2002) | p. 215 |
| Index | p. 219 |