Good Questions

Irene and I were talking about the Odyssey last night while making dinner, and Irene asked a very good question. I was kind of blathering on, and I happened to mention the most heralded events in the epic--Odysseus' encounters with the Lotus-Eaters, Cyclops, Circe, Sirens, as well as Scylla & Charibdis--are not told as they happen, but narrated by Odysseus to the Phoenicians only the night before his return to Ithaca. Which seemed interesting to me, but Irene asked (and rightfully so): So what?

Sadly, I didn't have any insightful replies on hand and, even after reflection, I can't come up with a convincing reason this structure would effect the story itself. It's true that Odysseus is a man of "twists and turns" and so throughout the epic tailors his story to his audiences--but it's difficult to believe that Homer would have Odysseus incorrectly recount this section, this section that details the harrowing nature of his journey, and so constitutes the heart of the story.

What makes it interesting to me is that prior to telling the Phoenicians of his trials and travails Odysseus is moved to tears by a famous Phoenician bard who sings of the fall of Troy. Odysseus compliments the bard profusely ... and then launches into his own story. It seems to me that by having Odysseus praise the Phoenician bard, and by having Odysseus' become a bard himself by retelling his legendary journey, Homer has reserved a special place for bards the world over. Historical context makes this easier to understand: Not only would Homer have told the Iliad and the Odyssey orally, he would have known that the only other way they would be spread is by other bards.

So one reason for this structure, among many others I'm sure, is self-propagation (with perhaps a touch of egoism). Tell them to hold the press at the New Yorker (with their indecipherable cartoons), I've got their next front page story right here.