Story of Iliad (Revised)

By E.T. Owen

Book Overview

Revised

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0865162352
• ISBN13: 9780865162358
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Know what this book is and isn't

Earlier reviews of this book may not have been clear about the purpose of this book, and who and what it's intended for. It's not intended as an introduction to the Iliad, or as a summary of the plot lines, description of characters, etc. For a general companion for first time readers, the Spark Notes and Cliff Notes are both quite sufficient, and for more critical readers there are two books that give detailed notes linked to line numbers: Malcolm Willcock's A Companion to the Iliad and Norman Postlethwaite's Homer's Iliad: A Commentary on the translation of Richmond Lattimore (though it can also be used with other translations). Both of these are very good for more detailed study of the poem. Owens's purpose is different. He is looking at the Iliad as a work of art, uncovering what makes it work as a literary masterpiece, and what techniques Homer uses to accomplish his goals. I hasten to add that this is not "literary criticism" in the narrow sense in which that term is often used in the university setting, but is for the general reader who is interested in looking at how Homer tells his story, how the poem is put together, the importance of certain passages whose value may not be immediately evident (such as the night foray of 10), and the like. I would not recommend this book as a companion for the general first-time reader of the Iliad; for that purpose it would indeed rate only two stars. But for someone interested in looking a bit more fully into the poem and what makes it work, this is a successful and valuable book and the only book I am aware of which takes that particular approach to the poem.