| Allegories of the Odyssey Contributor(s): Tzetzes, John (Author), Goldwyn, Adam J. (Translator), Kokkini, Dimitra (Translator) |
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ISBN: 0674238370 ISBN-13: 9780674238374 Publisher: Harvard University Press OUR PRICE: $34.65 Product Type: Hardcover Published: November 2019 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Ancient And Classical - History | Byzantine Empire - Literary Criticism | Medieval |
| Dewey: 883.01 |
| LCCN: 2019007467 |
| Series: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library |
| Physical Information: 1" H x 5.3" W x 7.9" (1.05 lbs) 384 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Homer's Iliad and Odyssey were central to the educational system of Byzantium, yet the religion and culture of the Homeric epics--even the ancient Greek language itself--had become almost unrecognizable to Byzantine Greek readers coming to the texts nearly two millennia later. The scholar, poet, and teacher John Tzetzes (ca. 1110-1180) joined the extensive tradition of interpreting Homer by producing his Allegories of the Iliad, dedicated to the foreign-born empress Eirene. Tzetzes later composed the Allegories of the Odyssey, a more advanced verse commentary, to explain Odysseus's journey and the pagan gods and marvels he encountered. Through historical allegory, the gods become ancient kings deified by the pagan poet; through astrological interpretation, they become planets whose positions and movements affect human life; through moral allegory Athena represents wisdom, Aphrodite desire. This edition presents the first translation of the Allegories of the Odyssey into any language. |
Contributor Bio(s): Goldwyn, Adam J.: - Adam J. Goldwyn is Assistant Professor of Medieval Literature and English at North Dakota State University.Kokkini, Dimitra: - Dimitra Kokkini is Associate Lecturer in Classics at Birkbeck, University of London. |