Emily Wilson Snippets - 2.1 Flashcards
On Xenia: The poem’s episodes can be…
“The Poem’s episodes can be seen as a sequence of case studies in the concept of xenia.” - Emily Wilson
On Xenia: In relation to the gods
“Xenia is particularly important to the gods in general… One of the standard titles of Zeus was Xenios (God of Strangers).”
In Xenia: Difference from modern hospitality
“Elite men who have entered one another’s homes and have been entertained appropriately are understood to have created a bond of “guest-friendship” (xenia) between their household that will continue into future generations.”
On Gods: Self-intetested beings
“The gods in The Odyssey […] whose interventions in human lives are motivated primarily by their own desires […] rather than by a consistent commitment to uphold moral law.”
On Gods: Athena
“Athena is alert to whatever is happening to Odysseus and Telemachus: nothing escapes her intelligent, careful notice.”
On Gods: Athena’s ultimate morives
“Are mixed and not always benevolent, as befote a devine being of the Greek imagination.”
On Women: Underrepresentation
“We know frustratingly little about the lives of women in archaic Greece.”
On Women: Elite’s Worth
“The poem circles around the question of whether an elite woman’s worth depends entirely on sexual fidelity.”
On Women: Penelope’s intelligence
“Penelope […] in many ways parallels the sharp wits and practical abilities of her husband.”
How to ref
Emily Wilson’s Translation of The Odyssey
