The Cambridge Companion to Homer

by Robert L. Fowler (Editor)

The two Homeric poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, have long been considered masterpieces, and their influence on subsequent Greek and Western literature has been immense. An international team of experts discusses the poems, their background and composition, and subsequent reception to the present day. Each chapter features contemporary critical insights and closes with a guide to further reading on the topic.

Genres: Classics, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Poetry, History, Philosophy, Literature

419 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2004

Reviews

[Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good starting point for anyone wishing to get to grips with Homer. It’s an edited volume containing essays on different themes from the Iliad & Odyssey, such as heroism, gender, and the role of the gods. It also covers stylistic features, such as the use of similes and formulae, as well as addressing questions concerning the composition & reception of epic poetry.

[James Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

This a collection of essays about Homer from 2004. I am a Homer geek. I love Homer and Homeric Greek. Some of these essays were fascinating. I particularly liked “Formulas, metre, and type scenes,” by Matthew Clark. That had details on Homeric meter that I had never even thought to ask. To say more would be to go down a rabbit hole that almost everyone, even people who love Homer, would be likely to find tedious. Some of the essays were insightful, such as “The epic tradition in Greece,” by Ken Dowden. Some were useful compendia but, to be honest, not significantly more useful than Wikipedia. Some I found complete yawners, such as “Homer and Ulysses,” by Vanda Zajko (sorry, Vanda)—which was mostly about how a couple English translations of Homer might have been related to Joyce. At least one has become totally extraneous, specifically “‘Shards and suckers’: contemporary receptions of Homer,” by Lorna Hardwick—which is essentially a review of two plays inspired by Homer, performed in 1989. Overall, I’m glad I read the book.

I would recommend checking it out of the library and skipping from essay to essay until you find ones that interest you. I read the whole thing, cover to cover, because I am constitutionally incapable of doing otherwise. Don’t read like me if you read this.

[Lisa Lieberman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit, I read around and skimmed a lot, using this as background to the group read of The Odyssey. It was a useful companion and worth having on my research shelf.

[Jaime Bayona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una buena serie de ensayos académicos sobre Homero y su obra, algunos muy buenos, otros.... Puff! Mi sección favorita ha sido la de la épica en el contexto griego.

[Maan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It juggled some interesting ideas!
Particularly enjoyed Ruth Scodel's 'The storyteller and his audience', and Nancy Felson and Laura Slatkin's 'Gender and Homeric epic'

[Rhys Fearnley · Rating 3 out of 5]

overall strong collection of essays with some duds, worth reading only the ones that interest you

[Michael Partyka Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book of essays. I enjoyed the ones on heroism, Homeric similes, and the history of the "idea" of Homer.

[Stephen Selbst]

A thought-provoking series of scholarly essays about Homer's continuing relevance to modern literature.