Joseph Heller's Catch-22 has been interpreted from many different vantage points in the nearly fifty years since it was first published. One approach that has not been effectively used has been to consider the influence of Homer's Iliad on Heller's novel. From teaching a Humanities seminar in war literature some years ago I had become convinced that this Homeric influence existed and I wrote to the late Mr. Heller to see if he would confirm this impression of mine. In a letter which I received from him in 1994 he stated that he had been thinking about the Iliad all of the time he was writing Catch-22 but wanted to avoid obvious comparisons. He confirmed to me his interest in the Iliad in personal conversations I had the privilege to have with him in 1997. In an interview which Mr. Heller had with the journal Contemporary Literature in 1998, he was asked "Were you thinking of Homer's ending when you wrote the conclusion to Catch-22?" He replied, "Very much so." This study offers a strong argument for an original interpretation of the intriguing relationship between Catch-22 and the Iliad.

Although the Iliad has a history dating back more than three thousand years, it remains a riveting and insightful study of universal themes relating to the human condition. This study focuses on three interconnecting subjects: the relationship of human beings to the external forces-the gods-which are operative in the universe; the concept of heroism in war and beyond war which fulfills the human aspiration for meaning in existence; and the process of emotional, intellectual, and psychological evolution by which the poem's hero, Achilles, evolves from a state of narcissistic indifference to the fate of other human beings to the capacity to demonstrate compassion to those who have been his most hated enemies.

This book analyzes in detail the argument that Aeschylus was a great poet whose views on religious and political thought were naive and primitive. The author cites relevant evidence to discount this theory and identifies Aeschylus as a rationalist and a humanist.
Originally published in 1966.
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Joseph Heller's Catch-22 has been interpreted from many different vantage points in the nearly fifty years since it was first published. One approach that has not been effectively used has been to consider the influence of Homer's Iliad on Heller's novel. From teaching a Humanities seminar in war literature some years ago I had become convinced that this Homeric influence existed and I wrote to the late Mr. Heller to see if he would confirm this impression of mine. In a letter which I received from him in 1994 he stated that he had been thinking about the Iliad all of the time he was writing Catch-22 but wanted to avoid obvious comparisons. He confirmed to me his interest in the Iliad in personal conversations I had the privilege to have with him in 1997. In an interview which Mr. Heller had with the journal Contemporary Literature in 1998, he was asked "Were you thinking of Homer's ending when you wrote the conclusion to Catch-22?" He replied, "Very much so." This study offers a strong argument for an original interpretation of the intriguing relationship between Catch-22 and the Iliad.

Although the Iliad has a history dating back more than three thousand years, it remains a riveting and insightful study of universal themes relating to the human condition. This study focuses on three interconnecting subjects: the relationship of human beings to the external forces - the gods - which are operative in the universe; the concept of heroism in war and beyond war which fulfills the human aspiration for meaning in existence; and the process of emotional, intellectual, and psychological evolution by which the poem's hero, Achilles, evolves from a state of narcissistic indifference to the fate of other human beings to the capacity to demonstrate compassion to those who have been his most hated enemies.

"The reprint edition will be most welcome to classicists, comparatists, and students of literary theory. No existing translation of the Poetics even approaches the quality and accuracy of Leon Golden's, and O.B. Hardison's accompanying commentary makes the book eminently useful as a text for literary criticism and literature-in-translation courses."--Roy Arthur Swanson, Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee "The Golden-Hardison translation and commentary offer some of the clearest and most persuasive explanations of Aristotle's key terms. I am happy to learn that this text will again be available."--Donald Keesey, Professor of English, San Jose State University This volume combines Leon Golden's highly regarded translation of Aristotle's Poetics and O. B. Hardison's detailed commentary provide a comprehensive account of the principles of the Poetics and of the critical debates they have engendered. Clearly written, highly readable, the volume was designed to meet the needs of students of literature and criticism who are not proficient in Greek, but it has become a standard reference for scholars as well as students.