The Odyssey recounts the adventures of Odysseus on his way home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Although originally written in heroic verse, it has been called the first novel because of its exciting use of narrative and the effective use of flashbacks to heighten the dramatic action. While The Iliad is a collection of mythical material that grew up about an event that seems actually to have occurred toward the end of the Mycenean era, The Odyssey is largely a collection of folk tales, many of which are easily recognizable in the legends of other lands.
We know very little about the author of The Odyssey. Most scholars agree that Homer was Greek. According to legend, he was blind, though scholarly evidence can neither confirm nor contradict the point. No one, however, disputes the fact that The Odyssey (and The Iliad as well) arose from oral tradition. Stock phrases, types of episodes, and repeated phrases -- such as "early, rose-fingered dawn" -- bear the mark of epic storytelling. Scholars agree, too, that this tale of the Greek hero Odysseus's journey and adventures as he returned home from Troy to Ithaca is a work of the greatest historical significance and, indeed, one of the foundations of Western literature.
About the Author: S. H. Butcher
Samuel Henry Butcher was born in Dublin to Samuel Butcher, Bishop of Meath. John Butcher, 1st Baron Danesfort was his younger brother. He became an eminent classical scholar and, in his final years, an English politician. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge between 1869 and 1873 where he was Senior Classic and Chancellor's medalist. Elected fellow of Trinity in 1874, he left the college on his marriage, in 1876, to the daughter of Archbishop Trench. From 1876 to 1882 he was a fellow of University College, Oxford, and from 1882 to 1903 he became Professor of Greek at Edinburgh University. He was President of the British Academy, 1909-1910.
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 - 20 July 1912) was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.
