{"product_id":"agamemnon-the-pathetic-despot-andrew-porter-9780674984455","title":"Agamemnon, the Pathetic Despot: Reading Characterization in Homer","description":"\u003cp\u003eAgamemnon led a ten-year-long struggle at Troy only to return home and die a pathetic death at his wife's hands. Yet while Agamemnon's story exerts an outsize influence--rivalled by few epic personalities--on the poetic narratives of the \u003ci\u003eIliad\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e, scholars have not adequately considered his full portrait. What was Agamemnon like as a character for Homer and his audience? More fundamentally, how should we approach the topic of characterization itself, following the discoveries of Milman Parry, Albert Lord, and their successors? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAndrew Porter explains the expression of characterization in Homer's works, from an oral-traditional point of view, and through the resonance of words, themes, and \"back stories\" from both the past and future. He analyzes Agamemnon's character traits in the \u003ci\u003eIliad\u003c\/i\u003e, including his qualities as a leader, against events such as his tragic homecoming narrative in the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e. Porter's findings demonstrate that there is a traditional depth of characterization embedded in the written pages of these once-oral epics, providing a shared connection between the ancient singer and his listeners.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Andrew Porter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0674984455\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674984455\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/31\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.70d","brand":"Andrew Porter","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43925572419839,"sku":"9780674984455","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_b175eabc-6971-4eb5-b6ca-71b691b1b92a.jpg?v=1681078068","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/agamemnon-the-pathetic-despot-andrew-porter-9780674984455","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}