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From villain to hero : Odysseus in ancient thought / Silvia Montiglio

Author
Montiglio, Silvia, 1960-
Additional Titles
Odysseus in ancient thought
Published
Ann Arbor : The University of Michigan Press, [2011]
Physical Description
1 online resource
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Language Note
English.
Contents
Introduction -- "Odysseus was not . . .": Antisthenes' defense of an abused hero -- Plato's Odysseus: a soldier in the soul -- Yearning for excellence: Odysseus in cynic and stoic thought -- King, friend, and flatterer: Odysseus in epicureanism and beyond -- Between contemplation and action -- Epilogue: Odysseus' virtus and thirst for knowledge in the Renaissance.
Summary
Praise for Silvia Montiglio "[A] brilliant and important book. ..."--Journal of Religion, on Silence in the Land of Logos "[A]n invigorating reevaluation of both the ancient symbolic landscape and our preconceptions of it."--American Journal of Philology, on Wandering in Ancient Greek Culture Best known for his adventures during his homeward journey as narrated in Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus remained a major figure and a source of inspiration in later literature, from Greek tragedy to Dante's Inferno to Joyce's Ulysses. Less commonly known, but equally interesting, are Odysseus' "wanderings" in ancient philosophy: Odysseus becomes a model of wisdom for Socrates and his followers, Cynics and Stoics, as well as for later Platonic thinkers. From Villain to Hero: Odysseus in Ancient Thought follows these wanderings in the world of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, retracing the steps that led the cunning hero of Homeric epic and the villain of Attic tragedy to become a paradigm of the wise man. From Villain to Hero explores the reception of Odysseus in philosophy, a subject that so far has been treated only in tangential or limited ways. Diverging from previous studies, Montiglio outlines the philosophers' Odysseus across the spectrum, from the Socratics to the Middle Platonists. By the early centuries CE, Odysseus' credentials as a wise man are firmly established, and the start of Odysseus' rehabilitation by philosophers challenges current perceptions of him as a villain. More than merely a study in ancient philosophy, From Villain to Hero seeks to understand the articulations between philosophical readings of Odysseus and nonphilosophical ones, with an eye to the larger cultural contexts of both. While this book is the work of a classicist, it will also be of interest to students of philosophy, comparative literature, and reception studies
Subject(s)
ISBN
0472027506 (e-book)
9780472027507 (e-book)
0472117742 (cloth ; acid-free paper)
9780472117741 (cloth ; acid-free paper)
1283282364
9781283282369
6613282367
9786613282361
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-211) and indexes.
View MARC record | catkey: 43297532