Odyssey: the structure, narrations and meaning

Bruce Louden´s re-reading of the Odyssey - which attempts to map in detail the poem´s overall structure - offers insights into the artistry of Odysseus´ mythic voyage and enriches our understanding of Homer´s masterful craftsmanship. Louden´s work uncovers an extended narrative pattern, repeated in full three times, which reveals the poem´s underlying skeletal structure.This organizational analysis helps to explain the existence of several characters or episodes sometimes dismissed as extraneous, as late additions, or even as corruptions to Homer´s original intent. In addition, Louden´s discovery strengthens the suggestion that the Odyssey was the product of oral tradition. By repeating this sequence of successive motifs, a single, improvising bard could explore a variety of complex ideas within a poem as long as the "Odyssey". Though centrally concerned with the form of Homer´s rich and complex plot, Louden´s study is not exclusively, or even primarily, formalistic. His investigation involves the study of characters´ names, challenges faced by Odysseus, the structure of the poem, and roles assigned to the poem´s female characters. Louden´s comprehensive achievement gives the reader a fresh perspective on the role of divine hostility and the artistry of an epic survivor on his timeless journey home.