C. J. Mackie, Rivers of Fire: Mythic Themes in Homer's Iliad, Washington, DC: New Academia Publishing, 2008. Pp. 263.
- ISBN 9780980081428.
- $26.00 (pb).
Recension par Katie Billotte (Royal Holloway College, University of London) dans Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010.01.19.
Présentation de l'éditeur:
MacKieexplores the different generations of heroes in early Greek myth andHomer's vision of war through four important symbolic themes: monsters,horses, archers, and fire.
This book explores the differentgenerations of heroes in early Greek myth and Homer's vision of warthrough four important symbolic themes- Monsters, Horses, Archers, andFire. In the Greek mythical tradition there are 'early' heroes likePerseus and Heracles and Bellerophon, who all make a name forthemselves by confronting terrifying monsters (like Medusa and Cerberusand the Chimaera). And then there are 'later' heroes, some of whomacquire their renown in the war at Troy (people like Achilles and Ajaxand Agamemnon). The central focus of this book is the way that Homer'sgreat epic poem the Iliad deals with these different generations ofheroes. Heracles is a particularly important background figure in theIliad, not least because he himself is meant to have sacked Troy inearlier times. In one sense the second Greek expedition against Troyrivals the earlier one, and is distinguished from it in many differentways. Rivers of Fire argues that in the Iliad an evolution in heroicconduct is meant to have taken place. The earlier defeat of Troy byHeracles was completed with a level of humanity and compassion. Thecity survived and prospered after the crisis of Heracles' defeat. Theemphasis in the later sack of Troy in the Iliad, however, is on the useof fire as a means of utterly destroying the city. There will be nosurvival for Troy this second time around, once Agamemnon and his armyare within its magnificent walls. "Mackie offers a compelling and verycoherent interpretation of the Iliad. Its clear and jargon free stylewill make it an attractive addition to any reading list on epic." -Peter Toohey, Professor and Head of Classics, University of Calgary."This book is asignificant contribution to our understanding both ofHomer and of Greek myth. Moreover, its discussion of war and itsconsequences strikes a note very much in tune with our own contemporaryworld." - John Davidson, Professor of Classics, Victoria University ofWellington.