Zeus in the Odyssey (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780674028128)

This book makes the case that the plot of the Odyssey is represented within the narrative as a plan of Zeus, Dios boulē, that serves as a guide for the performing poet and as a hermeneutic for the audience. Through occasional participation in events and pervasive influence, the character of Zeus maintains thematic unity as the narrative moves through a mass of potential narrative paths for Odysseus that was already dense and conflicting at the time the Odyssey was taking shape. The "Zeus-centric" reading proposed here offers fresh perspectives on the tenor of interactions among the Odyssey's characters, on the relationships among traditional accounts of Odysseus's return, and on long-standing problems of interpretation.

Author: J. Marks
ISBN-10: 0674028120
ISBN-13: 9780674028128
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Language: English
Published: 11/01/2008
Pages: 183
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.80h x 5.40w x 0.60d