June / Greece Reading: "Odyssey" by Homer

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Originally Posted by JBI

Keep in mind though, his father has been gone since he was a little child, and he barely knows him. He is trapped between loyalty to his father, who everyone thinks dead, and the fact that people are constantly making passes as his mother, which shows the distortion of power in Ithaca, as well as the fact that he is isolated from everybody.

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I wonder what Freud thought of this. Is the Oedipus complex dependent on the presence of the father? Without Odysseus around, Telemachus didn't have a figure to imitate or compete against in order to develop; however, nature seems to be favored over nurture in the Odyssey. Telemachus is told, numerous times, that if he is truly the son of his father blah blah blah.

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Originally Posted by papayahed

Although I have to admit all the "niceties" and adoration of each other gets a little much.

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I have to agree. One can make a living off of the hospitality (food, lodging gifts etc).

Does anyone know why the gods demand a hecatomb?

nope, I guess its more of an excuse for a giant party.

Did anyone else get the impression that Telemachus is gay? or am I just reading that in?

Hmmm. In response to DapperDrake, I think Telemachus seems to be gay to us in the epic because the Greeks had a kind of flamboyant culture (with pederasty and such) compared to most modern-day cultures, so he probably just seems this way because of our imaginations.
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I thought it was so interesting the way the oral culture shaped the work. The epithets especially; it seems so different from a lot of the literature I've read (keep in mind I haven't read the Iliad.) In fact, there is a popular theory by a man named Parry stating that, not only were their multiple authors who wrote the work of The Odyssey, but these authors actually improvised the entire thing (though they did steal bits and pieces from each other, making certain parts fomulaic.)

I am glad there weren't many works written this way, though. I thought the structure of the epic wasn't very good. It seemed to me like they should have told the story of Odysseus facing the Cyclops, Scylla and Charybdis, and other monsters like that instead of talking so much about Telemachus and Odysseus's journey after the really intense action sequences. Then again, maybe I'm just some ADD lunatic ravaged by our modern-day culture and the Greeks were more patient and less demanding of action.
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Does anyone know what was going on when Homer kept on referring to the good shepherd that helped Odysseus as "you?" I read the Fagle translation, which, by the way, has an amazing introduction

Did only two people make it through the book then? :) Oh well.

I did get the impression that Telemachus and Nestor's son (can't remember his name, pisistratus?) were more than just friends, I think that was strongly hinted at in the book. I do wonder if Homer was trying to make some sort of point with it.
I realise homosexuality was common place in ancient Greece, normal even, but I wonder what connotations it has in the story.

No, I've stopped commenting but i'm still reading. I'm not sure what to really say. Oh I guess I can think of something. But right now I'm preoccupied with the July read.

i shouldn't miss this..better get my book ready