Welcome to Orality to Multimedia, a blog about classic works of literature and their interpretations on screen. This blog is the public writing place for members of English 2111 (World Literature I), College of Coastal Georgia, Summer 2010. We aim to make an appealing blog that will catch the public eye and be a valuable resource for learning about classic literature and film. Here you will find commentary about literary works, as well as historical, cultural, political and aesthetic research on those works. In addition to our written work, you will find images, videos and links to related sites and blogs. We invite the public to tune in to our project, and--please--leave us comments if you'd like to enter the conversation.
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Thursday, June 24, 2010
What about women?
Use the comment button to post summaries of articles that deal with women (attitudes toward women, their defined roles, their ability to act--or not, their responsibilities, etc.) in Ancient Greece, and in The Odyssey in particular.
Morgan, Kathleen. "Odyssey 23.218-24: Adultery, Shame, and Marriage." The American Journal of Philology 112.1 (1991): 1-3. JSTOR. Web. 23 June 2010. .
In the academic article Adultery, Shame, and Marriage, Kathleen Morgan delves into the meaning behind the conversation between Penelope and Odysseus in lines 215 through 225. Penelope is comparing her situation with Odysseus to that of the situation with Helen of Troy, who had committed adultery. Penelope states that Helen would not have shamed herself and her family if she would have known that she would have been returning home. Penelope kept faith that Odysseus would return home to rescue her. Morgan expresses the concept of Penelope comparing herself to Helen of Troy to bring light to the fact that Penelope had so diligently protected the sanctity of her marriage, something that Helen of Troy had neglected to do because she saw no hope of being rescued. Penelope is trying to convey to Odysseus her vast commitment to her marriage and to the integrity of her family by not allowing herself to be taken advantage of by the suitors in her home. Morgan shows the strength within Penelope by analyzing this conversation with Odysseus. Penelope, who through all adversity, stayed true to her husband, and never put shame upon her family or her marriage.
Bassi, Karen. "Nostos, domos, and the architecture of the ancient Stage." South Atlantic Quarterly 98.3 (1999): 415. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 June 2010.
Bassi explains the significance of homecoming in “The Odyssey” as a deferred destination. These obstacles of nostos are a major portion of the plot and narration. The promise of homecoming is both desired and persistently delayed for Odysseus in “The Odyssey”. These delays are due to the presence of females that could take the place of Penelope and is motivated by the hero’s own desires of home.
According to Bassi, there is a negative representation of homecoming, and it becomes an over determined theme in “The Odyssey”. The long awaited arrival to Ithaca is greatly anticipated, but events threaten to stall Odysseus’ homecoming. During Odysseus’ journey he makes temporary homes with Circe, Calypso, and Nausicaa. Their negative effect is to end the hero’s journey home by changing his desire of home, or make him forget his home in Ithaca altogether. Bassi explains the goddesses’ homes are those of “heterosexual female desire in the male imaginary and are coupled with the promise of immortality or its analog, a life of inactivity and forgetfulness”. The problem is he may make one of these his permanent home and fail to bring the plot to end by giving up the journey home altogether.
Penelope shows great loyalty in the Odyssey. In this article, it explains how most people can misinterpret Penelope’s loyalty to Odysseus. Most people probably do not understand how Penelope can remain loyal to Odysseus in the circumstances she was given. It seems near impossible to most people to stay loyal when the thought of your husband never returning, remains in the back of your mind constantly. The article explains how the narrative led the readers to believe that Penelope may be unfaithful. The article points out that the narrative hinted Penelope’s possible betrayal to make it clear that Penelope did have other options that could have potentially lead to adultery. The article points out that having known the consequences of the decision to commit adultery, neither Helen nor Penelope would have. Sometimes knowing the consequences of your decision before you make it, can result in you making a different, and most of the time, better decision. The article makes it very clear that Penelope made a very good decision by choosing to stay faithful, even without knowing the consequences of her decisions. I think the article specifically wanted to point out how loyal Penelope was throughout the entire reading.
Morgan, Kathleen. "Odyssey 23.218-24: Adultery, Shame, and Marriage." The American Journal of Philology 112.1 (1991): 1-3. JSTOR. Web. 23 June 2010. .
ReplyDeleteIn the academic article Adultery, Shame, and Marriage, Kathleen Morgan delves into the meaning behind the conversation between Penelope and Odysseus in lines 215 through 225. Penelope is comparing her situation with Odysseus to that of the situation with Helen of Troy, who had committed adultery. Penelope states that Helen would not have shamed herself and her family if she would have known that she would have been returning home. Penelope kept faith that Odysseus would return home to rescue her. Morgan expresses the concept of Penelope comparing herself to Helen of Troy to bring light to the fact that Penelope had so diligently protected the sanctity of her marriage, something that Helen of Troy had neglected to do because she saw no hope of being rescued. Penelope is trying to convey to Odysseus her vast commitment to her marriage and to the integrity of her family by not allowing herself to be taken advantage of by the suitors in her home. Morgan shows the strength within Penelope by analyzing this conversation with Odysseus. Penelope, who through all adversity, stayed true to her husband, and never put shame upon her family or her marriage.
Bassi, Karen. "Nostos, domos, and the architecture of the ancient Stage." South Atlantic Quarterly 98.3 (1999): 415. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 June 2010.
ReplyDeleteBassi explains the significance of homecoming in “The Odyssey” as a deferred destination. These obstacles of nostos are a major portion of the plot and narration. The promise of homecoming is both desired and persistently delayed for Odysseus in “The Odyssey”. These delays are due to the presence of females that could take the place of Penelope and is motivated by the hero’s own desires of home.
According to Bassi, there is a negative representation of homecoming, and it becomes an over determined theme in “The Odyssey”. The long awaited arrival to Ithaca is greatly anticipated, but events threaten to stall Odysseus’ homecoming. During Odysseus’ journey he makes temporary homes with Circe, Calypso, and Nausicaa. Their negative effect is to end the hero’s journey home by changing his desire of home, or make him forget his home in Ithaca altogether. Bassi explains the goddesses’ homes are those of “heterosexual female desire in the male imaginary and are coupled with the promise of immortality or its analog, a life of inactivity and forgetfulness”. The problem is he may make one of these his permanent home and fail to bring the plot to end by giving up the journey home altogether.
Penelope shows great loyalty in the Odyssey. In this article, it explains how most people can misinterpret Penelope’s loyalty to Odysseus. Most people probably do not understand how Penelope can remain loyal to Odysseus in the circumstances she was given. It seems near impossible to most people to stay loyal when the thought of your husband never returning, remains in the back of your mind constantly. The article explains how the narrative led the readers to believe that Penelope may be unfaithful. The article points out that the narrative hinted Penelope’s possible betrayal to make it clear that Penelope did have other options that could have potentially lead to adultery. The article points out that having known the consequences of the decision to commit adultery, neither Helen nor Penelope would have. Sometimes knowing the consequences of your decision before you make it, can result in you making a different, and most of the time, better decision. The article makes it very clear that Penelope made a very good decision by choosing to stay faithful, even without knowing the consequences of her decisions. I think the article specifically wanted to point out how loyal Penelope was throughout the entire reading.
ReplyDelete