Homer's Odyssey: A CommentarySnider, Denton Jaques
Philosophy
Homer's Odyssey: A Commentary
Snider, Denton Jaques
Epic poetry, Greek -- History and criticism; Homer. Odyssey; Odysseus, King of Ithaca (Mythological character) -- In literature
Ulysses, therefore, having reached the court of Phaeacia, takes a calm
retrospect of the past, and recounts the same to the people there; he
comes to know himself, and he uses art for self-expression, not for the
praise of the external deed of war; his inner life is the theme. In
other words, he has become self-conscious in Phaeacia, he knows his own
processes, and shows that he knows them. As already pointed out, this
internal movement of his spirit is the process of the negative, he has
turned denier of the old institutional order of Greece, and he has to
work through into a positive world again, which he now sees before
himself in Phaeacia.
To be sure, the self-consciousness to which he has attained is not
expressed in the language of philosophy, but in poetry, in a
transcendental Fairyland. There is as yet no Greek language of
philosophy; a long development will bring it forth however; Aristotle
will deracinate the last image of Homer, and leave the Greek tongue
supersensible.
7. The fact that Ulysses must tell his own story is deeply coupled with
the following characteristic: these four Books of Fableland are
essentially a confession. From beginning to end we observe it to be an
account of shortcomings and their results; we find the acknowledgment
of error in the very statement of the transaction. He confesses to
Alcinous and the Phaeacians his negative attitude to the State and the
consequences thereof; he confesses to Arete in what way he has violated
her institution. Here lies the necessity: this confession is absolutely
needful to his soul to free it of its negative past. He has become
conscious of his condition, and utters his confession to these people
who are the opposite of it, and thus gets rid of his limitation. The
psychologic ground of his telling his own story is that he must.
To be sure, this is all done in a mythical form, which is somewhat
alien to our method of making a confession. Then Homer does not
moralize by the way, he does not usually approve or condemn; he simply
states the deed and its consequences. His procedure is objective, truly
artistic, letting the thing speak for itself. The modern reader,
however, likes to have moral observations interspersed, which will stir
up his sentiments, and save him the trouble of thinking the matter out
for himself.
Yet Ulysses, on the other hand, is always striving to reach out of his
error, to transcend his limitation. His mistake flings him to the
earth, but he gets up again and marches forward. Thus he asserts his
own infinite worth; he is certain to reach home at last and accomplish
the grand Return.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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