Readings in Greek Literature (301-0-1)

Topic

Gender and Homecoming in Homer's Odyssey

Instructors

Marianne Hopman
847/491-8361
Kresge Hall 4361
Office Hours: Tu/Th from 3:30-4:30pm

Meeting Info

TBA: TBA

Overview of class

Whether in Christopher Nolan's 2026 film adaptation or in the ancient Greek text itself, women play such a prominent role in the Odyssey that the nineteenth-century scholar Samuel Butler argued that the poem was composed by a woman. Odysseus' survival on his journey home from Troy to Ithaca depends on encounters with a series of powerful female figures, some beautiful, others monstrous, who may facilitate or hinder his return. In addition, his restoration as the legitimate ruler of Ithaca after a long absence hinges on the willingness and ability of his wife, Penelope, to keep rival suitors at bay. This course examines the construction of gender ideology in selected passages from the Odyssey, with particular attention to negotiations of power and authority and to the extent to which the poem reinforces and naturalizes patriarchal ideology. Special attention will be paid to the formulaic language of Homeric epic and to the ways digital tools such as the Chicago Homer can help us identify, analyze, and interpret formulas.

Class Materials (Required)

Stanford, W. B. (1998). Homer: Odyssey I-XII. Edited with Introduction and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury Academics. ISBN 978-1853995026

Stanford, W. B. 1998. Homer: Odyssey XIII-XXIV. Edited with an Introduction and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury Academics. ISBN 9781853995125

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
SoC Humanities and Fine Arts Distro