The Odyssey (Wordsworth Classics)[奥德赛]

图书标准信息

• 作者 Homer、Adam Roberts 著；George Chapman 译
• 出版社 Oversea Publishing House
• 出版时间 1992-01
• 版次 1
• ISBN 9781853260254
• 定价 38.00元
• 装帧 平装
• 开本 16开
• 纸张 胶版纸
• 页数 488页
• 正文语种 英语

【内容简介】

Homer'sgreatepicdescribesthemanyadventuresofOdysseus,Greekwarrior,ashestrivesovermanyyearstoreturntohishomeislandofIthacaaftertheTrojanWar.Hiscolourfuladventures,hisendurance,hisloveforhiswifeandsonhavethesamepowertomoveandinspirereaderstodayastheydidinArchaicGreece,2800yearsago.Thispoemhasbeentranslatedmanytimesovertheyears,butChapman'ssinewy,gorgeousrendering(1616)standsinaclassofitsown.ChapmanbelievedhimselfinspiredbythespiritofHomerhimself,andmatchesthebreadthandpoweroftheoriginalwithacomplexandstunningidiomofhisown.JohnKeatsexpressedhisadmirationfortheresultingworkinthefamoussonnet,'OnfirstlookingintoChapman'sHomer':'MuchhaveItravelledintherealmsofgold...'

【作者简介】

HomerAncientGreekpoetHomerestablishedthegoldstandardforheroicquestsandsweepingjourneyswithhispairofclassicepicpoems,TheIliadandTheOdyssey.BiographyWeknowverylittleabouttheauthorofTheOdysseyanditscompaniontale,TheIliad.MostscholarsagreethatHomerwasGreek;thosewhotrytoidentifyhisoriginonthebasisofdialectformsinthepoemstendtochooseashishomelandeitherSmyrna,nowtheTurkishcityknownasIzmir,orChios,anislandintheeasternAegeanSea.Accordingtolegend,Homerwasblind,thoughscholarlyevidencecanneitherconfirmnorcontradictthepoint.TheongoingdebateaboutwhoHomerwas,whenhelived,andevenifhewroteTheOdysseyandTheIliadisknownasthe"Homericquestion."ClassicistsdoagreethatthesetalesofthefallofthecityofTroy(Ilium)intheTrojanWar(TheIliad)andtheaftermathofthatten-yearbattle(TheOdyssey)coincidewiththeendingoftheMycenaeanperiodaround1200BCE(adatethatcorrespondswiththeendoftheBronzeAgethroughouttheEasternMediterranean).TheMycenaeanswereasocietyofwarriorsandtraders;beginningaround1600BCE,theybecameamajorpowerintheMediterranean.Brilliantpottersandarchitects,theyalsodevelopedasystemofwritingknownasLinearB,basedonasyllabary,writinginwhicheachsymbolstandsforasyllable.ScholarsdisagreeonwhenHomerlivedorwhenhemighthavewrittenTheOdyssey.SomehaveplacedHomerinthelate-Mycenaeanperiod,whichmeanshewouldhavewrittenabouttheTrojanWarasrecenthistory.Closestudyofthetexts,however,revealsaspectsofpolitical,material,religious,andmilitarylifeoftheBronzeAgeandoftheso-calledDarkAge,astheperiodofdominationbytheless-advancedDorianinvaderswhousurpedtheMycenaeansisknown.Buthow,otherscholarsargue,couldHomerhavecreatedworksofsuchmagnitudeintheDarkAge,whentherewasnosystemofwriting?Herodotus,theancientGreekhistorian,placedHomersometimearoundtheninthcenturyBCE,atthebeginningoftheArchaicperiod,inwhichtheGreeksadoptedasystemofwritingfromthePhoeniciansandwidelycolonizedtheMediterranean.Andmodernscholarshipshowsthatthemostrecentdetailsinthepoemsaredatabletotheperiodbetween750and700BCE.Noone,however,disputesthefactthatTheOdyssey(andTheIliadaswell)arosefromoraltradition.Stockphrases,typesofepisodes,andrepeatedphrases--suchas"early,rose-fingereddawn"--bearthemarkofepicstorytelling.Scholarsagree,too,thatthistaleoftheGreekheroOdysseus'sjourneyandadventuresashereturnedhomefromTroytoIthacaisaworkofthegreatesthistoricalsignificanceand,indeed,oneofthefoundationsofWesternliterature.AuthorbiographyfromtheBarnes&NobleClassicseditionofTheOdyssey.GoodToKnowThemeter(rhythmicpatternofsyllables)ofHomer'sepicpoemsisdactylichexameter.