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Homer
"The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" stand at the very beginning of Greek literature. Much has been written about their origins and authorship, but Jasper Griffin, although he touches briefly on those questions, is here concerned with the ideas of the poems, which have had such an incalculable influence on the ideas of the West. He shows that each of the two epics has its own coherent and suggestive view of the world and of man's place in it.
120 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2001
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About the author
Jasper Griffin
30 books6 followersJasper Griffin (born May 29, 1937), MA (Oxon), FBA, was Public Orator and Professor of Classical Literature in the University of Oxford from 1992 until 2004.
Jasper Griffin read Classical Moderations and Greats at Balliol College, Oxford (1956-1960) and was Jackson Fellow at Harvard University (1960-61). On his return to Oxford he became Dyson Junior Research Fellow at Balliol (1961-63), Tutorial Fellow in Classics (1963-2004), and Senior Fellow (2000-04).
His wife of nearly fifty years, Dr Miriam T. Griffin (née Dressler), is also a noteworthy classicist. They have three daughters: Julia, Miranda and Tamara.
Jasper Griffin read Classical Moderations and Greats at Balliol College, Oxford (1956-1960) and was Jackson Fellow at Harvard University (1960-61). On his return to Oxford he became Dyson Junior Research Fellow at Balliol (1961-63), Tutorial Fellow in Classics (1963-2004), and Senior Fellow (2000-04).
His wife of nearly fifty years, Dr Miriam T. Griffin (née Dressler), is also a noteworthy classicist. They have three daughters: Julia, Miranda and Tamara.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 4, 2024
I'll admit that I love these little books that try to summarize a writer's (or philosopher's or artist's) life quickly. It has something to do with being mostly an autodidact and trying to fill in the gaps that might have been filled in a big lecture hall will a well known expert. Sometimes these little introductions can themselves be kind of wonderful. Usually they are just OK; I'm glad I read them, but don't feel overly excited. This one felt OK.
Of course, Griffin has some difficulties with his subject. Did he even exist? We're certainly not going to get any new personal data. And is there really a whole lot that can be added to the discussion, say, things you wouldn't get in a good introduction to a new translation (think the new Emily Wilson translation, for instance.)
Still it was good to follow Griffin's discussion. He is good on the "Iliad," reminding us of the glory of it, the possibility of human heroics, and their importance. The "Odyssey" is more nuanced, more like a novel. Like most people (except Joyce, for instance) Griffin comes down on the possibilities of the heroic. The optimism of it, even as all the heroes are confronted with death.
There is a lovely last paragraph to this little book. Here it is:
"The Homeric poems do not tell us that the world was made for man, or that our natural state in it is one of happiness. They do say that it can be comprehended in human terms, and that human life can be more than an insignificant or ignoble struggle in the dark. The human soul can rise to the height of the challenges and the suffering which are the lot of all mankind. That spirit, chastened but not despairing, which sees the world without illusion and confronts it without self-pity or evasion, was the gift of Greece to the world, and it is the deepest element in the thought of Homer."
Of course, Griffin has some difficulties with his subject. Did he even exist? We're certainly not going to get any new personal data. And is there really a whole lot that can be added to the discussion, say, things you wouldn't get in a good introduction to a new translation (think the new Emily Wilson translation, for instance.)
Still it was good to follow Griffin's discussion. He is good on the "Iliad," reminding us of the glory of it, the possibility of human heroics, and their importance. The "Odyssey" is more nuanced, more like a novel. Like most people (except Joyce, for instance) Griffin comes down on the possibilities of the heroic. The optimism of it, even as all the heroes are confronted with death.
There is a lovely last paragraph to this little book. Here it is:
"The Homeric poems do not tell us that the world was made for man, or that our natural state in it is one of happiness. They do say that it can be comprehended in human terms, and that human life can be more than an insignificant or ignoble struggle in the dark. The human soul can rise to the height of the challenges and the suffering which are the lot of all mankind. That spirit, chastened but not despairing, which sees the world without illusion and confronts it without self-pity or evasion, was the gift of Greece to the world, and it is the deepest element in the thought of Homer."
Displaying 1 of 1 review