Ruth Scodel, Epic Facework: Self-presentation and Social Interaction in Homer, Swansea: Classical Press of Wales, 2008. Pp. xii, 177.
- ISBN 9781905125227.
- $80.00.
Recension par Yukiko Saito (Kyoto Seika University) dans Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010.05.25.
Présentation de l'éditeur:
Homer's characters are often very far from an unreflecting struggle for status at others' expense. Rather than being a 'zero-sum game', their negotiations can be of an impressive delicacy, designed to protect the 'face' of the other. Gifts and visible deference are important measures of honour, but characters also care about what others really feel. This sensitive study reveals that at the beginnings of (surviving) Greek literature Homer's audience is expected to appreciate psychology and self-control of a very high order. Literary analysts, historians, anthropologists and indeed archaeologists will have much to learn here about the general level of sophistication of the historic and prehistoric societies which generated such deeply civilized poetry.
Table des matières:
Preface
The Economy of Honor
Gifts
Managing Face
Ransom and Revenge
Remedial Exchanges
Quarrel and Embassy
Conclusion
Bibliography