Homer: Poet of the "Iliad" is the perfect companion both for readers deepening their appreciation of the poem and its form and for those encountering Homer's work for the first time. Mark Edwards combines the advantages of a general introduction and a detailed commentary to make the insights of recent Homeric scholarship accessible to students and general readers as well as to classicists.<P>Since interpretation of the epic requires an understanding of the ancient oral tradition and its conventions, Edwards offers a comprehensive analysis of the poetics of the Iliad and the Odyssey. He also discusses essential elements of Homeric society -- its religion, history, and social values -- to clarify the style and substance of the poetry. In the second half of the book, Edwards's scene-by-scene explication of ten major books of the Iliad leads the reader to a greater perception of Homer's mastery and manipulation of convention.
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From Library Journal
Like many recent books on the Iliad , this one attempts to introduce Homer to the uninitiated while also engaging the Greek scholar. Edwards's approach is stimulating: a detailed discussion of Homeric poetics in the first half prepares the reader for a lengthy commentary of ten out of 24 books. Such structure shows how meaning may be embedded in form, but too often the author's tabulations remain inert. Similarly, his commentary, though lively, at times fails to push criticism beyond identification of story patterns, type-scenes, and variations thereon. This book guides us through many of the poems structures but not to its greatness. Stephen Scully, Classical Studies Dept., Boston Univ.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Edwards makes reading Homer exciting and meaningful. He's alert to every aspect of his subject, including the problem of translations. His book is an indispensable companion for anyone keen on drawing from this great source of wisdom and delight.
(Christian Science Monitor )
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A splendid support for your reading of Homer,
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This review is from: Homer: Poet of the Iliad (Paperback)
This well-organized book calls attention to the skill with which "Homer" wrote his books, still popular 3,000 years after they were first written down. (How many of today's books will last 3,000 DAYS?) Subjects, events, and literary tools such as similes are discussed with admirable clarity and brevity. If you are reading Homer, you should have this book to improve your grasp of the books.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Insights About Homer,
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This review is from: Homer: Poet of the Iliad (Paperback)
This is an insightful work that provides general background on Homer, as well as detailed analyses of the individual books.
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First Sentence:
Helen, to cheer her young visitors Telemachus and Peisistratus after the whole gathering has been weeping for the heroes lost at Troy, casts a tranquilizing drug into the wine and suggests they tell stories as they dine; she herself begins with the tale of Odysseus's visit to Troy in disguise (Odyssey 4.238ff.). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
divinely made armor, arming scene, supplication scene, divine armor, immortal horses, new armor, blind folly, final duel, other epics, oral poetry, implied author Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Iliad Book, Characteristics of Homeric Poetry, Further Reading, Asia Minor, Trojan War, Dark Ages, Our Present Text, The World-view of Homer, Mount Ida, Homeric Hymn, Description of Hector, Mount Pelion, Virgil's Aeneid New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Helen, to cheer her young visitors Telemachus and Peisistratus after the whole gathering has been weeping for the heroes lost at Troy, casts a tranquilizing drug into the wine and suggests they tell stories as they dine; she herself begins with the tale of Odysseus's visit to Troy in disguise (Odyssey 4.238ff.). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
divinely made armor, arming scene, supplication scene, divine armor, immortal horses, new armor, blind folly, final duel, other epics, oral poetry, implied author Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Iliad Book, Characteristics of Homeric Poetry, Further Reading, Asia Minor, Trojan War, Dark Ages, Our Present Text, The World-view of Homer, Mount Ida, Homeric Hymn, Description of Hector, Mount Pelion, Virgil's Aeneid New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 83
books:
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37
books
cite this book:
See all 37 books citing this book
- Works and Days (Oxford University Press academic monograph reprints) by Hesiod on 11 pages
- The Homeric Hymns by Homer on 4 pages
- Iliad and Odyssey by Homer in Front Matter, page 22, and page 77
- Oral Tradition: Selected Poems Old & New by Jewelle Gomez on page 77, and Back Matter
- The Nature of Greek Myths by G. S. Kirk in Back Matter
See all 83 books this book cites
- Troy: From Homer's Iliad to Hollywood Epic by Martin M. Winkler on 4 pages
- Troy: From Homer's Iliad to Hollywood Epic by Martin M. Winkler on 4 pages
- Warrior, Dancer, Seductress, Queen: Women in Judges and biblical Israel (Anchor Bible Reference Library) by Susan Ackerman on page 209, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming by Jonathan Shay in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Odyssey: Structure, Narration, and Meaning by Professor Bruce Louden in Back Matter
See all 37 books citing this book
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