The Authoress of the Odyssey (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Where and when she wrote, who she was, the use she made of the Iliad, and how the poem grew under her handsBy Samuel Butler
Length12h 8m
About this audiobook
In The Authoress of the Odyssey, Samuel Butler advances one of the most provocative theses in Homeric criticism: that the Odyssey was composed not by "Homer" but by a young, educated woman of western Sicily, whose imaginative self-portrait appears in Nausicaa. Blending close reading, travel observation, philology, and speculative reconstruction, Butler reads the epic's domestic intelligence, geographical detail, and narrative sympathies against the masculine martial world of the Iliad. Butler, best known for Erewhon and The Way of All Flesh, was a Victorian iconoclast with deep interests in classical literature, evolution, art, and anti-orthodox argument. His independence from academic classicism allowed him to notice features that conventional scholarship often dismissed. Having travelled in Sicily and studied the poem's topography, he transformed personal observation into a bold literary hypothesis about authorship, gender, and the making of epic tradition. This book is recommended for readers interested in Homer, classical reception, feminist literary history, or the history of controversial scholarship. Even where Butler's conclusions remain disputed, his wit, ingenuity, and attentiveness to narrative texture make the work a stimulating encounter with the Odyssey and with Victorian criticism at its most daring.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.9 (153)
Includes LibraryThing, Amazon, Goodreads
GenreLiterary Classics
Length12 hrs 8 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 25, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Authoress of the Odyssey (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5PREFACE.
Mostrar todos os capítulosVer menos
6PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION (pt. 1)
7PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION (pt. 2)
8PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION (pt. 3)
9PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION (pt. 4)
10PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION (pt. 5)
11Analysis
12Reflection
13Memorable Quotes
More from Samuel Butler
The Way of All Flesh (Autobiographical Novel)Samuel Butler17h 35m$1.99 · $0.00
Erewhon; Or, Over the RangeSamuel Butler9h 26m3.5 (8.5K)$1 · $0.00
EREWHON (Dystopian Classic)Samuel Butler9h 35m3.5 (6.2K)$1 · $0.00
The Way of All FleshSamuel Butler17h 38m3.8 (12.7K)$2 · $0.00
Unconscious MemorySamuel Butler8h 20m3.5 (23)$2 · $0.00
God the Known and God the UnknownSamuel Butler2h 27m$1 · $0.00
The Note-Books of Samuel ButlerSamuel Butler16h 53m4.0 (131)$1 · $0.00
Erewhon (A Dystopia)Samuel Butler8h 49m3.5 (9.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Atlas of Ancient and Classical GeographySamuel Butler54m2.8 (89)$1 · $0.00
Ex Voto: An Account of the Sacro Monte or New Jerusalem at Varallo-SesiaSamuel Butler6h 2m$1 · $0.00
Erewhon (A Dystopia)Samuel Butler9h 42m3.6 (9.9K)$1.99 · $0.00
ErewhonSamuel Butler8h 37m3.5 (8.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Way of All Flesh (Annotated)Samuel Butler17h 35m3.8 (12.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 50m4.6 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust16h 8m4.5 (10.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
Lessons in TruthH. Emilie3h 50m4.6 (1.4K)$4.70 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery11h 1m4.5 (1.2M)$2.30 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
The North American IndianEdward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge6h4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Grimoire Of The Everyday WitchIsadora Lys / Virginia Santos5h 35m4.5 (3.9K)$9 · $0.00
Winnie-the-PoohAlan Alexander Milne2h 52m4.5 (401.1K)$3 · $0.00
Sitting PrettyRebekah Taussig7h 33m4.5 (18.9K)$26 · $0.00
The Poetic Edda & The Prose EddaSnorri Sturluson, Saemund Sigfusson9h 34m4.5 (4K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Satires & Essays of Mark Twain (Annotated)Mark Twain23h 21m4.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesLucy Maud Montgomery11h 10m4.4 (1.3M)$8 · $0.00
The Posthumous Memoirs Of Brás CubasMachado De Assis7h 39m4.4 (120.4K)$5 · $0.00
You may also like
The Truth About Jesus - Is He a Myth? (Annotated)M. M. Mangasarian6h 59m4.0 (291)$1.99 · $0.00
Teutonic Mythology: The Gods and Goddesses of the Northland (Vol. 1-3)Viktor Rydberg31h 18m4.3 (281)$1 · $0.00
The Everlasting ManG. K. Chesterton10h 27m4.4 (15.3K)$2.30 · $0.00
Living with the DevilStephen Batchelor6h 20m4.2 (1.3K)$20 · $0.00
Pandora's JarNatalie Haynes9h 25m4.3 (32.9K)$29 · $0.00
The Everlasting ManG. K. Chesterton10h 39m4.4 (17.1K)$20
How Baseball HappenedThomas W. Gilbert10h 39m4.0 (581)$20 · $0.00
Sartor ResartusThomas Carlyle8h 59m3.8 (2.5K)Free
The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers (Annotated)Diogenes Laertius21h 28m4.1 (801)$2 · $0.00
The Non-Christian Cross (Annotated)John Denham Parsons4h 44m4.3 (20)$2 · $0.00
How the Bible was InventedM. M. Mangasarian1h 49m3.8 (57)$2 · $0.00
Celtic MSS. in relation to the Macpherson fraudJames Cruikshank Roger1h 24m$2 · $0.00
Flat Out FascinatingSkyler Bosse2h 39m$15 · $0.00
The True Story of the American FlagJohn H. Fow1h 7m3.8 (22)$1 · $0.00
London Before the ConquestW. R. Lethaby2h 54m$2 · $0.00
Mexican PaintingJean Charlot3h 22m$18 · $0.00
Science and Pseudoscience - A Conversation with Michael GordinHoward Burton2h 17m$3 · $0.00
The Non-Christian CrossJohn Denham Parsons4h 19m4.3 (32)$2 · $0.00
The Jesus Problem: A Restatement of the Myth TheoryJ. M. Robertson10h 44m$1 · $0.00
The right hand : Left-handednessSir Daniel Wilson4h 51m$1 · $0.00