The Wooden Horse: The Liberation of the Western Mind, from Odysseus to Socrates

by Keld Zeruneith

The Wooden Horse is a powerful, provocative, and engaging new workby perhaps the worlds most insightful and acclaimed historian of the ancient worldthat establishes the foundation of the Western worlds conceptions of society, philosophy, and poetry by tracing the processes by which consciousness evolved from its roots in the mother cults of Ancient Greece, with its attendant matriarchal mode of thought, to be replaced by a patriarchal world of laws with a religious counterpart in the Olympian gods.

By examining Homers great epic poems, The Illiad and The Odysseythe Wests most comprehensive picture of the heroic age, which documents the fact that the Trojan War stalemate was resolved through strategic thinking (via Odysseuss invention of the wooden horse) rather than brute physical superiorityKeld Zeruneith explores this fundamental paradigm shift, which constituted nothing less than the liberation of the modern mind.

With close analyses encompassing the poetry, drama, philosophy, and history of the ancient world, Keld Zeruneith casts a new light on our cultural ballast and provides startlingly original insight into the psychological forces behind the genesis of European culture.

Genres: History, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Ancient, Classical Studies

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome on about ten different levels. The only difficulty is the density of the writing. This is a slow read, because Zeruneith is making a point in virtually every paragraph. It also requires a working knowledge of the Iliad, Odyssey and several Greek tragedies. I would recommend reading it with the University of Chicago Complete Tragedies within striking distance, as well as decent translations of Homer.

He is basically talking about the transition from a cthonic, matriarchal religion to the patriarchy of Olympus, as well as the external to internal senses of self as represented by Achilles and then Odysseus. I found it particularly interesting when he discussed how philosphy replaced tragedy as the chosen mode of expression for these cultural values; the bow tied at the end of the narrative is the replacement of Odysseus (who in his turn replaced Achilles, Ajax and the other martial heroes of the Trojan War) by Socrates, less as the man himself, than as Plato's archtype. Zeruneith notes that Aristotle and others decried the lack of good tragedy after the passing of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and offers the explanation that philosophy had emerged during a time of stress (the post-Peloppennisian War) and replaced tragedy (which had flourished after the Persian Wars) because society no longer had the unity of values implied by the tragic vision.

Highly recommend.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an education between two covers. I say this for two reasons. It provides a survey of Greek literature, especially poetry and drama, from Homer to Socrates. In addition the author shows how each work indicates, participates in fundamental changes in consciousness, of perceiving and interpreting self and world over the same period. Moreover, the author presents the book as the distillation of many decades of reading, research, thinking and teaching - a marvelous capstone to an illustrious career.

I will say that the book requires a bit of patience and persistence, but for the curious that's hardly an obstacle, especially in view of the rewards of taking one's time with this wonderful book, which compelled me to re-read the Illiad and Odessey, as well as the whole of Sophocles.

[Luciana Cavallaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

An in depth study into the oral literary traditions and links to the Western mind.
It is an academic book and a worthy inclusion for anyone who is studying the Classics.

[Charles Cavazos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zeruneith traces the breakthrough and development of human consciousness through an examination of the Greek canon. Though a bit dense, it is valuable when reading many of the Greek classics. Definitely a book to keep on your shelf.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me over a year of careful reading to fully peruse this dense tome, and even now I am not certain that I have done more than grasp its barest outlines!

[Banbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wooden Horse provides a literary exegesis that teaches much about the Ancient Greek texts it discusses. Although the author picks and chooses his evidence from the vast store of the Ancient classics, while ignoring any that would contradict his thesis, and asserts an overarching cohesiveness to the genre that is unlikely to exist, given the vast number of years over which they were written, their several authors, and the several versions of the stories, his thesis still provides a brilliant beam of enlightenment. The close readings of several of the texts by Zeruneith is particularly rewarding; especially his analyses of the contrasting characters of Odysseus and Achilles in both The Iliad and The Odyssey.

[Trine]

Jeg købte et anmeldereksemplar af bogen antikvarisk kort efter udgivelse fordi den lød så spændende...og så har den ellers samlet støv på hylden, da min sparsomme tid til fornøjelseslæsning er blevet beslaglagt af fiktion. Men nu kaldte den på mig, og jeg er i gang med at bliver hamrende klog - på den fede måde :o)