Customer Reviews

The Wooden Horse: The Liberation of the Western Mind, from Odysseus to Socrates

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In short - I have rarely read a more thought-provoking and, at the same time, discussion-ending book. I cannot remember a more intelligent and impressive intellectual journey. If you are a fan of Homer this is a must.

For all of us who cannot get enough of the "Iliad" and/or the "Odyssey," this is an unbelievable treasure. The book provides an encyclopedic and intellectual study of the development of Western civilization as advanced by "Homer," through 562 pages of text, 30 pages of outstanding notes, and 6 full pages of bibliography. This author's audience must have been graduate students and scholars of Homer, but even armchair amateurs with a modicum of understanding and familiarity of these two epic poems will enjoy the book. It's one of those books, where after reading the first two chapters, you want to start over. You realize you have missed much the first time. The author does a great job reinforcing what he has written earlier without getting boring or tedious. Although I associate Harold Bloom with the Shakespearian scholars, I would be very curious to know what Bloom thinks about this book. I remain perplexed why Bloom did not include a chapter or section devoted to Homer in his "Western Canon," or in "Genius."

This is too much for a college/graduate student to read during the school year. This is an outstanding book to be read through the summer, in preparation for school courses.

The author says that the chapters stand-alone and the reader can pick and choose the chapters that interest him or her most. Obviously, it's important to read the foreword and the first chapter first, but after that one can skip around. I would also suggest the first note which takes up almost a full 2 1/2 pages, and titled, "The Wooden Horse: The Myth of Discursivity." (Discursivity: Proceeding to a conclusion through reason rather than intuition.)

Perhaps what I enjoyed most is the fact that the author remains perplexed how such great works, the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" could emerge from "the darkness of history...it will remain a mystery. The mystery bears the name of Homer."

One of the most sweeping,in depth and insightful study on the primordial psychology, and the development of consciousness that has permeated the civilization of the Greeks, conducted through a remarkable comparison between the Iliad, the Odyssey and the Works and Days of Hesiod; where Odysseus is the paradigm in the evolution of thought and the relationships between humanity, politics and religion. A fantastic read for those who are passionate about the classics of our civilization.