R&L Logo R&L Logo
  • GENERAL
    • Browse by Subjects
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Chases's Calendar
  • ACADEMIC
    • Textbooks
    • Browse by Course
    • Instructor's Copies
    • Monographs & Research
    • Reference
  • PROFESSIONAL
    • Education
    • Intelligence & Security
    • Library Services
    • Business & Leadership
    • Museum Studies
    • Music
    • Pastoral Resources
    • Psychotherapy
  • FREUD SET
Cover Image
Hardback
share of facebook share on twitter
Add to GoodReads

Strange Instances of Time and Space in the Odyssey

Menelaos Christopoulos

Strange Instances of Time and Space in the Odyssey explores several aspects of the Homeric Odyssey, focusing on the complex relationship between time and space in Odysseus' maritime wondering. Using nostos as a mega-theme, Menelaos Christopoulos closely examines Odysseus' trips to the strait of Skylla, the island of Calypso, and the Underworld, questioning the intriguing analogies between Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus and the end of Odysseus' reign in Ithaca. This book sets forth original arguments, such as that the murder of Palamedes could be the real reason for Poseidon's wrath; that the poem describes a clear-cut distinction between Odysseus and his companions, who perish without leaving any trace of their prior existence with the sole exception of Elpenor; and, finally, that the Odyssey advocates a new and subversive epic model of life based on the preservation of life rather than on heroic death and the pursuit of glory.

  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Lexington Books
Pages: 102 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-1-66692-039-0 • Hardback • November 2023 • $85.00 • (£65.00)
Series: Greek Studies: Interdisciplinary Approaches
Subjects: Philosophy / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical, Literary Criticism / Ancient & Classical, Literary Criticism / Poetry

Menelaos Christopoulos is professor of Ancient Greek Literature at the University of Patras.

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Trips, Ships and Helmsmen in The Odyssey

Chapter 2: Onwards and Backwards

Chapter 3: Odysseus’ Crimes and The Prolonged Nostos

Chapter 4: Crossing Straits: From “We” to “I”

Chapter 5: Between Life and Death: Patroclus, Elpenor, The Suitors and Odysseus’ Companions

Chapter 6: Leaving Calypso’s Island or `A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu

Epilogue

Bibliography

About the Author

In Strange Instances of Time and Space in the Odyssey, Menelaos Christopoulos sheds new light on obscure and difficult aspects of Odysseus' nostos. His skillful analysis identifies an intricate network of thematic units centered on maritime travel, the structure of time and space, and Odysseus' ethos, also offering an innovative angle from which to interpret it. Engaging and original, this book takes all readers, experts and general readers alike, on a voyage aboard Odysseus' unnamed ship, alongside his anonymous helmsman and ill-fated crew, to discover the hero's complicated legacy through extant and lost epic traditions. Christopoulos' thorough research and insightful readings bring the Odyssey to Ithaca.


— Stamatia Dova, Hellenic College


Menelaos Christopoulos has written a delightful book with many insightful observations about travel, space, and time in the Odyssey.


— Jonathan Burgess, University of Toronto


Strange Instances of Time and Space in the Odyssey

Cover Image
Hardback
Summary
Summary
  • Strange Instances of Time and Space in the Odyssey explores several aspects of the Homeric Odyssey, focusing on the complex relationship between time and space in Odysseus' maritime wondering. Using nostos as a mega-theme, Menelaos Christopoulos closely examines Odysseus' trips to the strait of Skylla, the island of Calypso, and the Underworld, questioning the intriguing analogies between Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus and the end of Odysseus' reign in Ithaca. This book sets forth original arguments, such as that the murder of Palamedes could be the real reason for Poseidon's wrath; that the poem describes a clear-cut distinction between Odysseus and his companions, who perish without leaving any trace of their prior existence with the sole exception of Elpenor; and, finally, that the Odyssey advocates a new and subversive epic model of life based on the preservation of life rather than on heroic death and the pursuit of glory.

Details
Details
  • Lexington Books
    Pages: 102 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
    978-1-66692-039-0 • Hardback • November 2023 • $85.00 • (£65.00)
    Series: Greek Studies: Interdisciplinary Approaches
    Subjects: Philosophy / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical, Literary Criticism / Ancient & Classical, Literary Criticism / Poetry
Author
Author
  • Menelaos Christopoulos is professor of Ancient Greek Literature at the University of Patras.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Preface

    Acknowledgments

    Chapter 1: Trips, Ships and Helmsmen in The Odyssey

    Chapter 2: Onwards and Backwards

    Chapter 3: Odysseus’ Crimes and The Prolonged Nostos

    Chapter 4: Crossing Straits: From “We” to “I”

    Chapter 5: Between Life and Death: Patroclus, Elpenor, The Suitors and Odysseus’ Companions

    Chapter 6: Leaving Calypso’s Island or `A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu

    Epilogue

    Bibliography

    About the Author

Reviews
Reviews
  • In Strange Instances of Time and Space in the Odyssey, Menelaos Christopoulos sheds new light on obscure and difficult aspects of Odysseus' nostos. His skillful analysis identifies an intricate network of thematic units centered on maritime travel, the structure of time and space, and Odysseus' ethos, also offering an innovative angle from which to interpret it. Engaging and original, this book takes all readers, experts and general readers alike, on a voyage aboard Odysseus' unnamed ship, alongside his anonymous helmsman and ill-fated crew, to discover the hero's complicated legacy through extant and lost epic traditions. Christopoulos' thorough research and insightful readings bring the Odyssey to Ithaca.


    — Stamatia Dova, Hellenic College


    Menelaos Christopoulos has written a delightful book with many insightful observations about travel, space, and time in the Odyssey.


    — Jonathan Burgess, University of Toronto


ALSO AVAILABLE

  • Cover image for the book Necessity and Philosophy in Plato's Republic
  • Cover image for the book Philosophy of the Ancient Maya: Lords of Time
  • Cover image for the book Plotinus the Master and the Apotheosis of Imperial Platonism
  • Cover image for the book Classical Vertigo: Mythic Shapes and Contemporary Influences in Hitchcock’s Film
  • Cover image for the book The Bow and the Lyre: A Platonic Reading of the Odyssey
  • Cover image for the book A Reading of Propertius' Elegies
  • Cover image for the book Intoxication in the Ancient Greek and Roman World
  • Cover image for the book Ignorance, Irony, and Knowledge in Plato
  • Cover image for the book Plotinus and Augustine on the Mid-Rank of Soul: Navigating Two Worlds
  • Cover image for the book Tradition and Autonomy in Plato's Euthyphro
  • Cover image for the book Cannabis in the Ancient Greek and Roman World
  • Cover image for the book Classical Christianity and the Political Order: Reflections on the Theologico-Political Problem
  • Cover image for the book Philosophy in the Ancient World: An Introduction
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Forms: Varieties of Interpretation
  • Cover image for the book Black Ships and Sea Raiders: The Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Context of Odysseus’ Second Cretan Lie
  • Cover image for the book Exploring Personhood: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Human Nature
  • Cover image for the book Pharmakon: Plato, Drug Culture, and Identity in Ancient Athens
  • Cover image for the book Plato and Demosthenes: Recovering the Old Academy
  • Cover image for the book Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey, 2nd Edition
  • Cover image for the book Ascent to the Beautiful: Plato the Teacher and the Pre-Republic Dialogues from Protagoras to Symposium
  • Cover image for the book The Woman Question in Plato's Republic
  • Cover image for the book The Tragedy of the Athenian Ideal in Thucydides and Plato
  • Cover image for the book Philo of Alexandria: A Sourcebook
  • Cover image for the book Plato on the Unity of the Virtues: A Dialectic Reading
  • Cover image for the book Philosophy, Poetry, and Power in Aristophanes's Birds
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Ancient Greek Philosophy, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Heidegger's Philosophy, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book Who Speaks for Plato?: Studies in Platonic Anonymity
  • Cover image for the book Aristotle on the Necessity of Public Education
  • Cover image for the book The City-State of the Soul: Constituting the Self in Plato's Republic
  • Cover image for the book A Reading of Lucretius' De Rerum Natura
  • Cover image for the book Classical Myth in Alfred Hitchcock's Wrong Man and Grace Kelly Films
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Hippias Minor: The Play of Ambiguity
  • Cover image for the book Epictetus and Laypeople: A Stoic Stance toward Non-Stoics
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito: Critical Essays
  • Cover image for the book Readings of Plato's Apology of Socrates: Defending the Philosophical Life
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Socrates on Socrates: Socratic Self-Disclosure and the Public Practice of Philosophy
  • Cover image for the book Aretism: An Ancient Sports Philosophy for the Modern Sports World
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Socrates as Narrator: A Philosophical Muse
  • Cover image for the book The Guardians on Trial: The Reading Order of Plato's Dialogues from Euthyphro to Phaedo
  • Cover image for the book Liberation and Authority: Plato's Gorgias, the First Book of the Republic, and Thucydides
  • Cover image for the book The Guardians in Action: Plato the Teacher and the Post-Republic Dialogues from Timaeus to Theaetetus
  • Cover image for the book From Puzzles to Principles?: Essays on Aristotle's Dialectic
  • Cover image for the book Necessity and Philosophy in Plato's Republic
  • Cover image for the book Philosophy of the Ancient Maya: Lords of Time
  • Cover image for the book Plotinus the Master and the Apotheosis of Imperial Platonism
  • Cover image for the book Classical Vertigo: Mythic Shapes and Contemporary Influences in Hitchcock’s Film
  • Cover image for the book The Bow and the Lyre: A Platonic Reading of the Odyssey
  • Cover image for the book A Reading of Propertius' Elegies
  • Cover image for the book Intoxication in the Ancient Greek and Roman World
  • Cover image for the book Ignorance, Irony, and Knowledge in Plato
  • Cover image for the book Plotinus and Augustine on the Mid-Rank of Soul: Navigating Two Worlds
  • Cover image for the book Tradition and Autonomy in Plato's Euthyphro
  • Cover image for the book Cannabis in the Ancient Greek and Roman World
  • Cover image for the book Classical Christianity and the Political Order: Reflections on the Theologico-Political Problem
  • Cover image for the book Philosophy in the Ancient World: An Introduction
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Forms: Varieties of Interpretation
  • Cover image for the book Black Ships and Sea Raiders: The Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Context of Odysseus’ Second Cretan Lie
  • Cover image for the book Exploring Personhood: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Human Nature
  • Cover image for the book Pharmakon: Plato, Drug Culture, and Identity in Ancient Athens
  • Cover image for the book Plato and Demosthenes: Recovering the Old Academy
  • Cover image for the book Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey, 2nd Edition
  • Cover image for the book Ascent to the Beautiful: Plato the Teacher and the Pre-Republic Dialogues from Protagoras to Symposium
  • Cover image for the book The Woman Question in Plato's Republic
  • Cover image for the book The Tragedy of the Athenian Ideal in Thucydides and Plato
  • Cover image for the book Philo of Alexandria: A Sourcebook
  • Cover image for the book Plato on the Unity of the Virtues: A Dialectic Reading
  • Cover image for the book Philosophy, Poetry, and Power in Aristophanes's Birds
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Ancient Greek Philosophy, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Heidegger's Philosophy, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book Who Speaks for Plato?: Studies in Platonic Anonymity
  • Cover image for the book Aristotle on the Necessity of Public Education
  • Cover image for the book The City-State of the Soul: Constituting the Self in Plato's Republic
  • Cover image for the book A Reading of Lucretius' De Rerum Natura
  • Cover image for the book Classical Myth in Alfred Hitchcock's Wrong Man and Grace Kelly Films
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Hippias Minor: The Play of Ambiguity
  • Cover image for the book Epictetus and Laypeople: A Stoic Stance toward Non-Stoics
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito: Critical Essays
  • Cover image for the book Readings of Plato's Apology of Socrates: Defending the Philosophical Life
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Socrates on Socrates: Socratic Self-Disclosure and the Public Practice of Philosophy
  • Cover image for the book Aretism: An Ancient Sports Philosophy for the Modern Sports World
  • Cover image for the book Plato's Socrates as Narrator: A Philosophical Muse
  • Cover image for the book The Guardians on Trial: The Reading Order of Plato's Dialogues from Euthyphro to Phaedo
  • Cover image for the book Liberation and Authority: Plato's Gorgias, the First Book of the Republic, and Thucydides
  • Cover image for the book The Guardians in Action: Plato the Teacher and the Post-Republic Dialogues from Timaeus to Theaetetus
  • Cover image for the book From Puzzles to Principles?: Essays on Aristotle's Dialectic
facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon linked in icon NEWSLETTERS
ABOUT US
  • Mission Statement
  • Employment
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
CONTACT
  • Company Directory
  • Publicity and Media Queries
  • Rights and Permissions
  • Textbook Resource Center
AUTHOR RESOURCES
  • Royalty Contact
  • Production Guidelines
  • Manuscript Submissions
ORDERING INFORMATION
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • National Book Network
  • Ingram Publisher Services UK
  • Special Sales
  • International Sales
  • eBook Partners
  • Digital Catalogs
IMPRINTS
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • Lexington Books
  • Hamilton Books
  • Applause Books
  • Amadeus Press
  • Backbeat Books
  • Bernan
  • Hal Leonard Books
  • Limelight Editions
  • Co-Publishing Partners
  • Globe Pequot
  • Down East Books
  • Falcon Guides
  • Gooseberry Patch
  • Lyons Press
  • Muddy Boots
  • Pineapple Press
  • TwoDot Books
  • Stackpole Books
PARTNERS
  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Brookings Institution Press
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
  • Fortress Press
  • The Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • Lehigh University Press
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Other Partners...