The Raft of Odysseus

Download or read book The Raft of Odysseus written by Carol Dougherty and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2001 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Raft of Odysseus looks at the fascinating intersection of traditional myth with an enthnographically-viewed Homeric world. Carol Dougherty argues that the resourcefulness of Odysseus as an adventurer on perilous seas served as an example to Homer's society which also had to adjust in inventive ways to turbulent conditions. The fantastic adventures of Odysseus act as a prism for the experiences of Homer's own listeners--traders, seafarers, storytellers, soldiers--and give us a glimpse into their own world of hopes and fears, 500 years after the Iliadic events were supposed to have happened.