The Raft of Odysseus by Carol Dougherty

The Raft of Odysseus by Carol Dougherty

The Raft of Odysseus looks at the fascinating intersection of traditional myth with an enthnographically-viewed Homeric world. Carol Dougherty argues that the resourcefulness of Odysseus as an adventurer on perilous seas served as an example to Homer's society which also had to adjust in inventive ways to turbulent conditions. The fantastic adventures of Odysseus act as a prism for the experiences of Homer's own listeners--traders, seafarers, storytellers, soldiers--and give us a glimpse into their own world of hopes and fears, 500 years after the Iliadic events were supposed to have happened. In the course of her argument, Dougherty makes liberal use of what we know about Mycenean and archaic artifacts, comparing the realities of historical shipbuilding or weaving, for example, with the often magnificently inflated account of the epics.

A great virtue of Dougherty's book is that it not only offers possible answers but also encourages a range of further questions * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
some very good discussion, particularly of the relationships between issues of colonization and poetic imagination * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
The Introduction shows the breadth of Dougherty's argument, which itself traverses an extensive terrain for a book of a size that encourages the reader * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
This is a sparkling study of the Odyssey * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780195130362
ISBN 10	0195130367
Title	The Raft of Odysseus
Author	Carol Dougherty
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Oxford University Press Inc
Year published	2001-05-03
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.