{"product_id":"the-unknown-odysseus-thomas-van-nortwick-9780472116737","title":"The Unknown Odysseus: Alternate Worlds in Homer's Odyssey","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Unknown Odysseus\u003c\/i\u003e is a study of how Homer creates two versions of his hero, one who is the triumphant protagonist of the revenge plot and another, more subversive, anonymous figure whose various personae exemplify an entirely different set of assumptions about the world through which each hero moves and about the shape and meaning of human life. Separating the two perspectives allows us to see more clearly how the poem's dual focus can begin to explain some of the notorious difficulties readers have encountered in thinking about the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e. In \u003ci\u003eThe Unknown Odysseus\u003c\/i\u003e, Thomas Van Nortwick offers the most complete exploration to date of the implications of Odysseus' divided nature, showing how it allows Homer to explore the riddles of human identity in a profound way that is not usually recognized by studies focusing on only one \"real\" hero in the narrative. This new perspective on the epic enriches the world of the poem in a way that will interest both general readers and classical scholars.\u003c\/p\u003e\". . .an elegant and lucid critical study that is also a good introduction to the poem.\" \u003cbr\u003e ---David Quint, \u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Thomas Van Nortwick's eloquently written book will give the neophyte a clear interpretive path through the epic while reminding experienced readers why they should still care about the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e's unresolved interpretive cruces. \u003ci\u003eThe Unknown Odysseus\u003c\/i\u003e is not merely accessible, but a true pleasure to read.\" \u003cbr\u003e ---Lillian Doherty, University of Maryland\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Contributing to an important new perspective on understanding the epic, Thomas Van Nortwick wishes to resist the dominant, even imperial narrative that tries so hard to trick, beguile, and even bully its listeners into accepting the inevitability of Odysseus' heroism.\" \u003cbr\u003e ---Victoria Pedrick, Georgetown University\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThomas Van Nortwick is Nathan A. Greenberg Professor of Classics at Oberlin College and author of \u003ci\u003eSomewhere I Have Never Travelled: The Second Self and the Hero's Journey in Ancient Epic\u003c\/i\u003e (1992) and \u003ci\u003eOedipus: The Meaning of a Masculine Life\u003c\/i\u003e (1998).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJacket art: Head of Odysseus from a sculptural group representing Odysseus killing Polyphemus in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Sperlonga, Italy. Photograph by Marie-Lan Nguyen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Thomas Van Nortwick\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0472116738\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780472116737\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Michigan Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/01\/2008\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChronicle of Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/09\/2009 pg. 17\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/25\/2009 pg. 35","brand":"Thomas Van Nortwick","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086706290943,"sku":"9780472116737","price":69.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_15e9a28d-4322-44a2-a3d6-43c3dd118ed9.jpg?v=1769096106","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-unknown-odysseus-thomas-van-nortwick-9780472116737","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}