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This book looks at the stories told by the characters in the Iliad. All these stories are relevant to some aspect of the main narrative of the poem and they help us to understand it. Certain episodes narrated by the poet also reflect on the central issues of the poem, such as the dire consequences of rejecting prayers.
Readers coming to the Odyssey for the first time are often dazzled
and bewildered by the wealth of material it contains which is
seemingly unrelated to the central story: the main plot of
Odysseus' return to Ithaca is complicated by myriad secondary
narratives related by the poet and his characters, including
Odysseus' own fantastic tales of Lotus Eaters, Sirens, and cannibal
giants. Although these 'para-narratives' are a source of pleasure
and entertainment in their own right, each also has a special
relevance to its immediate context, elucidating Odysseus'
predicament and also subtly influencing and guiding the audience's
reception of the main story. By exploring variations on the basic
story-shape, drawing on familiar tales, anecdotes, and mythology,
or inserting analogous situations, they create illuminating
parallels to the main narrative and prompt specific responses in
readers or listeners. This is the case even when details are
suppressed or altered, as the audience may still experience the
reverberations of the better-known version of the tradition, and it
also applies to the characters themselves, who are often provided
with a model of action for imitation or avoidance in their
immediate contexts.
Readers coming to the Odyssey for the first time are often dazzled
and bewildered by the wealth of material it contains which is
seemingly unrelated to the central story: the main plot of
Odysseus' return to Ithaca is complicated by myriad secondary
narratives related by the poet and his characters, including
Odysseus' own fantastic tales of Lotus Eaters, Sirens, and cannibal
giants. Although these 'para-narratives' are a source of pleasure
and entertainment in their own right, each also has a special
relevance to its immediate context, elucidating Odysseus'
predicament and also subtly influencing and guiding the audience's
reception of the main story. By exploring variations on the basic
story-shape, drawing on familiar tales, anecdotes, and mythology,
or inserting analogous situations, they create illuminating
parallels to the main narrative and prompt specific responses in
readers or listeners. This is the case even when details are
suppressed or altered, as the audience may still experience the
reverberations of the better-known version of the tradition, and it
also applies to the characters themselves, who are often provided
with a model of action for imitation or avoidance in their
immediate contexts.
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