• Little Things Mean a Lot: Odysseus' Scar and Eurycleia's Memory

    Author(s):
    Jeffrey Beneker (see profile)
    Date:
    2016
    Subject(s):
    Homer
    Item Type:
    Book chapter
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/18fy-vd69
    Abstract:
    In this essay, I argue that in Odyssey 19, when Eurycleia recognizes Odysseus despite his disguise, she does so not simply because she sees the scar but because she has shared with Odysseus a meaningful experience in the past. The recollection of this experience plays a central role in the larger scheme of disguise and recognition that is fundamental to the second half of the Odyssey, serving especially to re-establish the master-servant relationship that is necessary for the recovery of Odysseus’ identity. This connection to the larger plot and to other recognition scenes, I argue, is critical to for reading the full meaning of the vivid but unspoken recollection shared between Odysseus and Eurycleia.
    Metadata:
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    Published as:
    Book section     Show details
    Publisher:
    Routledge
    Pub. Date:
    2016
    Book Title:
    Resemblance and Reality in Greek Thought: Essays in Honor of Peter M. Smith
    Editor(s):
    A. Park
    Page Range:
    31 - 45
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    4 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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