Re: And _The Odyssey_. -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

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Date Posted: 07:54:29 01/24/08 Thu
Author: Jonathan Dunn
Subject: Re: And _The Odyssey_.
In reply to: j.jackson 's message, "And _The Odyssey_." on 05:43:05 01/24/08 Thu

In his Penelope Ulixi, Ovid has Penelope present the suitors as free-loaders who seem more interested in taking what belongs to Odysseus than in seeking her for her own merits. She says:

Quid tibi Pisandrum Polybumque Medontaque dirum
Eurymachique avidas Antinoique manus
Atque alios referam, quos omnis turpiter absens
Ipse tuo partis sanguine rebus alis?

[Why should I mention Pisander, Polybus, ugly Medon, and covetous Eurymachus and Antino�s, beside many others, who all in your absence live upon the means gained at the hazard of your life?]

That she describes Eurymachus as "avidas" might imply that he only is interested in having what Odysseus has. At the same time, however, it doesn't seem that Ovid picks up on the imitated desire; I am rather inclined to respect his reading more than a modern reading.

At the same time, however, the passage right before this is Penelope speculating that Odysseus has found some other, more beautiful lover (because that is the fickle nature of man). She's right, of course. But the fact that these two passages follow one after the other makes me think that perhaps Ovid is saying that Penelope is jealous and that she tries to energize Odysseus' love for her with an account of her many suitors. Tries to make him jealous, in other words. Why Odysseus would want to imitate the suitors I don't know.

I am sure we will get into this in class, but I wonder whether this mimetic reading of Homer (and of Sophocles) is picked up in the retellings of the same stories by other ancient writers. They are all imitating and manipulating the same stories; if they considered this reading essential then they would no doubt recreate it in their own versions. If, on the other hand, they did not include the mimetic reading in their retellings, I would have to wonder why.

We all can agree, of course, that ancient writers had the clearest idea of human nature and that they produced the best literature. Everything that follows is only a poor attempt to revisit their genius. It seems, therefore, that there is where the real proof must be found.

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