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The Death and Afterlife of Achilles
Achilles’ death―by an arrow shot through the vulnerable heel of the otherwise invincible mythic hero―was as well known in antiquity as the rest of the history of the Trojan War. However, this important event was not described directly in either of the great Homeric epics, the Iliad or the Odyssey . Noted classics scholar Jonathan S. Burgess traces the story of Achilles as represented in other ancient sources in order to offer a deeper understanding of the death and afterlife of the celebrated Greek warrior. Through close readings of additional literary sources and analysis of ancient artwork, such as vase paintings, Burgess uncovers rich accounts of Achilles’ death as well as alternative versions of his afterlife. Taking a neoanalytical approach, Burgess is able to trace the influence of these parallel cultural sources on Homer’s composition of the Iliad. With his keen, original analysis of hitherto untapped literary, iconographical, and archaeological sources, Burgess adds greatly to our understanding of this archetypal mythic hero.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 8, 2009
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May 4, 2016
Wow, was this dense. And wordy. And filled with terms like "neoanalysis" and... I was going to add some more but I can't remember them. Oops. I'm a bad scholar.
A lot of it wasn't especially interesting because I'm just a lowly undergrad who isn't really into the nitty-gritty aspects of academia yet. But I enjoyed it! Anything about Achilles, I'm for it, especially analyzing the larger role he plays in Greek myth/storytelling, outside of the Homeric sphere, and what his role has to say about myth/storytelling as a whole. It's really fascinating stuff.
(This is random, not really very academic at all, and minor. But I really like that Burgess uses Patroklos instead of Patroclus. Patroclus is just so... scrubbed clean. Patroclus belongs in Madeline Miller's Iliad. Patroklos is true I'M GONNA WRECK IT Homer.)
So, yeah, I didn't enjoy reading this book, but I enjoy what I get out of this book. I would buy it just for reference. Also, it has pictures!
A lot of it wasn't especially interesting because I'm just a lowly undergrad who isn't really into the nitty-gritty aspects of academia yet. But I enjoyed it! Anything about Achilles, I'm for it, especially analyzing the larger role he plays in Greek myth/storytelling, outside of the Homeric sphere, and what his role has to say about myth/storytelling as a whole. It's really fascinating stuff.
(This is random, not really very academic at all, and minor. But I really like that Burgess uses Patroklos instead of Patroclus. Patroclus is just so... scrubbed clean. Patroclus belongs in Madeline Miller's Iliad. Patroklos is true I'M GONNA WRECK IT Homer.)
So, yeah, I didn't enjoy reading this book, but I enjoy what I get out of this book. I would buy it just for reference. Also, it has pictures!
Displaying 1 of 1 review