The returns of Ulysses - A cultural history of Homer's Odyssey

Edith Hall

I. B. Tauris

2012

304 páginas

10h 8m

ISBN-13: 9781780762357

Whether they focus on the bewitching song of the Sirens, his cunning escape from the cave of the terrifying one-eyed Cyclops, or the vengeful slaying of the suitors of his beautiful wife Penelope, the stirring adventures of Ulysses/Odysseus are amongst the most durable in human culture. The picaresque return of the wandering pirate-king is one of the most popular texts of all time, crossing East-West divides and inspiring poets and filmmakers worldwide. But why, over three thousand years, has the Odyssey's appeal proved so remarkably resilient and long lasting? Edith Hall explains the enduring fascination of Homer's epic in terms of its extraordinary susceptibility to adaptation. Not only has the story reflected a myriad of different agendas, but - from the tragedies of classical Athens to modern detective fiction, film, travelogue and opera - it has seemed perhaps uniquely fertile in