MULTIPERSPECTIVISM IN THE ILIAD OF HOMER AND THE SIEGE BY ISMAIL KADARE, ICECI'15 - 2nd International Conference on Education, Culture and Identity 15 - 16 October 2015 (original) (raw)

Western Values, or the Peoples Homer: Unforgiven as a Reading of the Iliad

Poetics Today, 1997

I sing of arms and men, not of presidents, kings, generals, or passing explorers, but of those who survived their personal, lonely Alamos, men who drove the cattle, plowed the furrows, built their shelters against the wind, the men who built a nation. I do not need to go to Thermopylae or the Plains of Marathon for heroism. I find it here on the frontier... These are the American stories, the stories I wish to tell, and if I have not told them well, I shall have tried. Louis LAmour Abstract We explore Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven as a reading of the Iliad. Significant parallels link the two works in terms of genre, plot structure, and ideology, especially the ideology of manhood. The Western is, in fact, the modern American epic, and as such performs an equivalent cultural role to that of the Iliad in Classical Greece: It defines the qualities necessary for those heroes who will build civilization out of wilderness.

Homer's Odyssey: From Classical Poetry to Threshold Graphic Narratives for Dual Readership

Journal Of Literary Education, 2019

This study focuses on the countercultural comic book adaptations of the Odyssey. Since ancient Greek literature in general and Homer in particular, transcended the institutionalized formalistic and idealistic approach, the epics' adaptations became a vehicle for criticism or even a mirror of each receiving culture's present. The kind of relation established between each adaptation and its pretext is defined by the inscribed meta-narratives in its body. The graphic adaptations under discussion, countercultural, demystifying or even subversive, participate in the so-called "cross-audience phenomenon", addressing a dual readership, both children and adults. They aim at undermining the heroic ethos, provoking skepticism and criticizing allusively contemporary politics. They also trivialize the original through humorous, satiric or ironic imitation. This way they facilitate dialogue between past and present, by creating a threshold, a contact zone within which pluralism is the major trait. Este estudio se centra en algunas adaptaciones no convencionales de la Odisea homérica en el cómic. Desde que la antigua literatura griega en general y Homero en particular, transcendieron la interpretación formalista e idealista, las adaptaciones épicas sirvieron como vehículo para la crítica o incluso como un espejo del presente de cada cultura receptora. El tipo de relación establecida entre cada adaptación y su pre-texto está definido por las meta-narrativas inscritas en su interior. Las gráficas que se discuten aquí, contraculturales, desmistificadoras o incluso subversivas, participan en el llamado "fenómeno de audiencias cruzadas", dirigiéndose a un lector dual, tanto niños como adultos. Su objetivo es socavar el espíritu heroico, provocar escepticismo y criticar de manera alusiva a la política contemporánea. También trivializan el original mediante imitaciones humorísticas, satíricas o irónicas. De esta manera, facilitan el diálogo entre el pasado y el presente, creando un umbral, una zona de contacto dentro de la cual el pluralismo es el rasgo principal. Aquest estudi focalitza en algunes adaptacions no convencionals de l'Odissea homèrica al còmic. Des que l'antiga literatura grega en general i Homer en particular van transcendir la interpretació formalista i idealista, les adaptacions èpiques van servir com a vehicle per a la crítica o fins i tot com a un espill del present de cada cultura receptora. El tipus de relació establerta entre cada adaptació i el seu pretext està definit per les metanarratives inscrites al seu interior. Les adaptacions gràfiques que es discuteixen ací, contraculturals, desmitificadores o fins i tot subversives, participen en l'anomenat "fenomen d'audiències creuades", tot adreçant-se a un lector dual, tant infants com adults. El seu objectiu és soscavar l'esperit heroic, provocar escepticisme i criticar de manera al·lusiva la política contemporània. També trivialitzen l'original mitjançant imitacions humorístiques, satíriques o iròniques. D'aquesta manera, faciliten el diàleg entre el passat i el present tot creant un llindar, una zona de contacte dins de la qual el pluralisme n'és el tret principal.

"Rhapsodic Receptions of Homer in Multiform Proems of the 'Iliad'"

2016

This article examines two multiform proems that introduced different interpretations of the Homeric 'Iliad'. Scholars have previously reasoned that rhapsodes used one of these proems. I further their observations by arguing that rhapsodes used both of them in competitive performance to put their own spins on the 'Iliad', a technique that increased their reputations and authority. In addition, by comparing the diction, meter, and content of the proems with the Homeric Iliad and archaic Greek epic more generally, I argue that the multiform proems interpret the relationship between immortals and mortals in different ways.

For the Individualization of Trojan Characters in the Iliad

Journal Phasis - Greek and Roman Studies, 2015

The Homeric principles for the individualization of characters have long been among the focal points in the Homeric studies. 1 There are two principal conflicting opinionspart of researchers considers Homeric characters altogether traditional 2 while others believe they are highly individual. 3 Consequently, some attribute all what determines the individuality of characters in the Iliad solely to the plot, the story and thereby find them limited to the frameworks that a traditional story sets for the properties of its characters; Homeric characters are distinct from one another only through either the outward features typical of traditional characters or the specific nature of their adventures. According to the other position, what builds the images of the Homeric characters are their personal properties revealed in the poem and not the individuality of the events described. In fact, the supporters of this viewpoint share Aristotle's opinion, who praised Homer for his surprising ability to create vivid images of characters. 4 R. Gordeziani shares the second position. Following Aristotle, the scholar believes the characters of the Iliad are 'endowed' with the individuality of choice manifested either through their deeds or through their words. Consequently, he attempts to find with each central character the so-called 1 For the review of the question, cf.

Achilles as Vagabond: The Culture of Autonomy in the "Iliad"

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THE POLITICS OF RAGE, COURAGE AND STRIFE IN HOMER’S ILIAD.

My MA Thesis charts Homer’s Iliad as a song of thumoresistance. I mean the very intersection of thumos and stasis. Thumos means heart, spirit, rage, bravery and is understood to be the courageous part of the Ancient Greek psyche. Stasis implies civil strife—a radical rupture with the organization of political power—an event which needs to occur for structural changes to manifest. Stasis, as contestation and conflict is politics as such. I have deeper interests in producing a strong, albeit polemic, argument that affirms and extenuates Ancient forms of rage, dissent and courageous action. It is in the points of resonance between Menis, Thumos and Stasis, that I locate brave, courageous and enraged modes that engage and produce political crises. I am examining liberatory, revolutionary acts of thumotic resistance/stasis (individual/heroic and collective rage), as essential parts of Ancient Greek life. Affirming menis, thumos and stasis, as I feel the need to do, will strengthen critique Plato for being anti-democratic, anti-collective decision-making, against the capacity for courageous and spited action, and against political rage and politics as such. The object of my analysis is Homer’s Iliad, the tradition of militant rage that persists in the Bronze Age that was carried though in song well throughout 4th Century Democratic Athens. Over the course of this paper I will come to see Achilles not only as a flat warrior-model, but as a thumo-resisting hero who creates a legitimate and ethical stasis against the rule of the tyrant Agamemnon, and also a parrhesiastes. In addressing the dense network of themes I just described, I will be making close readings of the Ancient Greeks, including Homer, Solon, Plato, Aristotle and their interpreters: Peter Sloterdijk, Kostas Kalimtzis, Gregory Nagy, Michel Foucault, Leonard Muellner, DL Cairns and Glen Most.

The Iliad, the Odyssey, and Narratological Intertextuality

Symbolae Osloenses, 2019

This paper discusses four distinctive Homeric narrative features where an intertextual relationship between the Iliad and the Odyssey can be discerned: (1) the narrator's choice to begin the narration mid-fabula, pitching the narratee in medias res; (2) the narrator's initial declaration of a theme in the proem and the subsequent duplication of that theme in the course of the narrative; (3) the creation of a sense of narrative closure through scenes involving fathers, and a related use of fathers as unseen characters in the narrative; and (4) the use of interlaced storylines and of a related continuity of time principle. The poet of the Odyssey must be understood on several occasions to recur not to any quasi-transcendental repertory of narratological techniques, but to the narratological techniques that were specifically deployed in the Iliad.