The Epic women of Homer. Book review and some thoughts about homeric poetry
Homeric poetry is a complex and profound field of study, a complete universe that has amazed hearts and minds for centuries. When we approach Homer’s epics, we are not only reading and knowing the work of one aedo; we are also confronting the heritage and soul of Ancient Greece through its oral tradition, cult, and beliefs. There exist thousands of different ways in which his words can be studied and analyzed today, thousands of ways for us to try to understand and delve into them.
Dr. Eirene Allen proposes a way in which, as readers, we can approach Homer's epic from a refreshing and illuminating perspective, understanding not only the oral tradition but also paying close attention to the female voices that are sometimes underestimated or misunderstood in The Iliad and The Odyssey.
To read the interview with the author see this post
You can pre-order the book here
The Epic Women of Homer is a book that through key moments of the poems in the voice of these female figures full of strength and complex readings, brings us closer in a different way not only to the composition but to the content and the multiple nuances that Homer possesses.
In this book, Dr. Allen accomplishes two invaluable things: an intense analysis of both content and style, while also uncovering very interesting layers in characters like Eurycleia and Nausica; while she also presents us with a marvelous translation work in which she beautifully blends Homeric epic poetry with the difficult decisions and interpretations that translation presents today.
"I held myself to translating line by line, even when it seemed virtually impossible. I did not do this because I believe it to be the ‘correct’ or ‘only’ way that Homer ‘should’ be translated. Rather, I hoped to attune my mind to oral poetry’s layering, digression-and-return style" The Epic Women of Homer
The introduction of her book is an extensive analysis of terms that are fundamental to understanding Homer, not just as words, but as an enormous cosmos that encompasses multiple layers of meaning and is interwoven within the epic. Words as complex as kleos and daimoni are explored in a very interesting way, helping the reader understand the epic from an intertextual perspective.
When analyzing the different female voices and fragments in the text, the author makes a division between queens, goddesses, captives, and heroines, trying to give sufficient value and relevance to each one by providing her own translations accompanied by her analysis of said fragments and the strength and meanings they have in the poems. These notions and voices are an intimate part of the epics and allow us to be part, for a moment, of this extense world. The epic of Homer is not only poetry but tradition, music, dance, religion and identity.
“The Homeric Epics tell stories about the heroes who historical listeners would presumably recognise as immortal forces they worship, but the narratives themselves – about conflict and brutality, sacrifice and grief, devotion and reunion – are so timelessly human that we can find meaning in them even without recourse to their own cultural contexts.”
The Epic Women of Homer
As the author says, when approaching female voices inside the Homeric world, we need, unquestionably, to do it also to male figures and the dialogue and unity that they all form. We can not fully understand Thetis's power and lament without Akilleus, same as we can not understand and feel Andromache's pain without the figure of Hector. In her book, through her moving and brilliant translations we can get a little closer to the soul of Ancient Greece and poetry, a little closer to the sacred voice of muses and Homer.
Dr. Allen also provides us with an interesting and thought-provoking analysis of specific repetitions and words inside the poem that speaks to us about more deep concepts and possible intentions of the aedo. When we read Homer, it is fundamental to remember that all these repetitions and epithets are part of the ritual and sacred connotations, and in her analysis, Dr. Allen constantly reminds us that the formulaic composition and those repetitions work as a tool, a sacred one, that connects community and the poet with the muses.
Another element worth highlighting in her book is how she addresses specific moments of these female voices that have unfortunately been treated superficially before. By doing a deep reading, and also drawing on the meanings we find in translations and formulas, the author allows us to approach figures like Eurycleia in a much more significant way, giving her the relevance she deserves within the narrative. Furthermore, she offers a different interpretation of moments that are sometimes considered submissive in these characters' interpretations. We can especially mention Penelope and Telemachus, and how, through Dr. Allen's research and translation, we can see that their interactions are actually a mixture of feminine power together with masculine power within a narrative that connects to the same goal: to achieve Odysseus' return and to obtain kleos for him but also for Penelope.
This approach to Homer's work and its intertextual and sacred readings are reflected in the author's translations, translations that reveal not only her immense knowledge and respect for Homer's epic poems but also a profound love for them. These translations move us, speak to us in a special way, and also allow us to read and experience passages from the Iliad and the Odyssey in a different way. As the author says, her Homer is not ours; each reader has a different approach and understanding of his work. Moreover, each reader, as well as each person who was part of the ancient audience, feels and receives Homeric poetry in a unique way.
The book The Epic Women of Homer allows us to reinterpret the Homeric epic and especially to approach these female figures so full of power and varied readings in order to have a better understanding of the corpus of the aedo but also a better and more meaningful interpretation of the culture, oral tradition and ancestral heritage to which they belong.
Dr. Eirene Allen PhD is the director of The Institute for Classics Education in U.S. where you will find conferences, courses and academic resources for free. You can also suscribe to the institute's substack
Reminder: if you want to support my writing, studies and my medical expenses you can do it with Buy me a coffee something that I would appreciate a lot!
Clear, extremely insightful and beautifully written review. Thank you very much, dear Mariana!!
Thank you for this, Mariana!