A fresh and original introduction to the Odyssey and how it continues to shape literature, film, art and even the ways we make sense of our lives.

"This book serves as both a cultural and reception history of Homer's great epic, the Odyssey, and as an in-depth exploration of the literary styles that mark the narrative out as so unique and influential. It begins with a broad survey of the Odyssey's presence in intellectual history as well as in the arts today, in literature, art, and film, and goes on to familiarise the reader with the literary form of Homeric epic and all of its peculiarities, before focusing in on the book's central thread: the narrative. The Odyssey is not only a gripping story in its own right, it also features several stories within it: the recitals of the bards; the homecoming stories of the Greek heroes after the fall of Troy; Odysseus' own report of his adventures, and the falsified stories through which he conceals his identity. Narrative presents itself as a principal theme for a comprehensive reading of the poem, and at the same time speaks powerfully to issues of identity, meaning, and experience in today's society. We all use narratives to make sense of our lives, to form identities, and to forge communities, and Grethlein shows us how Homer mastered the true art of storytelling. Across eight chapters, he takes the reader on a tour of the poem exemplifying the ways in which it reflects, with great nuance, on the various forms and functions of narrative. He highlights, in particular, its capacity to help individuals understand their experiences and themselves; to overcome contingency; and to bestow meaning on events in retrospect. Grethlein demonstrates, artfully, the ways in which the Odyssey has provided us with one of the most influential narrative schemas on which we rely, and emphasises the continuing relevance of the poem to modern readers and the modern world"--