Singers, Heroes, and Gods in the Odyssey - Paperback

by Charles Segal (Author)

One of the special charms of the Odyssey, according to Charles Segal, is the way it transports readers to fascinating places. Yet despite the appeal of its narrative, the Odyssey is fully understood only when its style, design, and mythical patterns are taken into account as well. Bringing a new richness to interpretation of this epic, Segal looks closely at key forms of social and personal organization which Odysseus encounters in his voyages. Segal also considers such topics as the relationship between bard and audience, the implications of the Odyssey's self-consciousness about its own poetics, and Homer's treatment of the nature of poetry.

Author Biography

Charles Segal (1936-2002) taught classics at the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Princeton University, and Harvard University, where he was Walter C. Klein Professor of the Classics. Among his many books are, as author, Interpreting Greek Tragedy: Myth, Poetry, Text and Singers, Heroes, and Gods in the "Odyssey", both published by Cornell University Press.