Keats and Auerbach are not necessarily at odds with each other but rather they differ in opinion in some literary aspects. Keats addresses imagination as a form of truth stating that what an individual views as beautiful is truth and what is true, be it pain or horror also possesses its own beauty. Auerbach writes about how “reality”, the antithesis of imagination, is depicted in western literature and compares how The Odyssey does not need to be considered true to affect the realism of the story whereas The Bible relies heavily on being perceived as truth to construct its reality. The main opposition between the two writers is Auerbach’s need to interpret and understand and Keats’ desire not to look for ‘the truth’ but to experience it in …show more content…
In the opening chapter ‘Odysseys’ scar’ Auerbach contrasts Homer’s expressive, emotional style of realism in which the epic Odyssey is set with the Old Testament’s more regular, every day, socio-historical interpretation of the world, in which the ‘Binding of Isaac’ is set. Auerbach looks at the presentation of ‘reality’ across several literary works. He does this by comparing the fictional Odyssey with the “non-fictional” Bible. Auerbach views The Odyssey as entertainment saying it will “make us forget our own Reality for a few hours” , the fact that it creates something that isn’t “our Reality” shows Homer was not interested in creating a truthful story which is why Auerbach refers to him as a “harmless liar … who lied to give pleasure” , the word “liar” is an interesting choice as it has several connotations of treachery, deceitfulness, and even evil but the pre-modifying adjective “harmless” takes away the harshness of the accusation. Auerbach looks at The Bible as “Religious Doctrine” saying it tries to “make us fit our own life into its world” in contrast to The Odyssey, The Bible tries to construct its reality as our own rather than one created for a story. The Bible imposes “tyrannical” truth where the realism of the story relies on it being viewed as truth. Auerbach also refers to the Elohist as a “political liar with a definite end …show more content…
This shows that Auerbach’s intention is to understand and analyse these texts from the past so he can decipher the meaning behind the words. Keats has almost the opposite view, he lives in the moment “I look not for it if it be not in the present hour” , this idea echoes his thoughts on beauty and truth and also that of sensations, and Keats refuses to look for meaning he instead simply experiences what he experiences or at least tries to. Whereas Auerbach is analytically searching for meaning in what he sees. Both are stereotypical of their types of writing, the former a Romantic poet and the latter a literary critic. According to Auerbach Homer’s true motivation lay in the rhetorical tradition of a poet trying to “Represent phenomena in a fully externalized form, visible, and palpable in all their parts” . The idea of “phenomena” relates closely to Keats’ ideas of imagination, as the former means a remarkable event or object and the other usually relates to the mental creation of something phenomenal. Whereas The Elohist was motivated by a belief in religion and trying to convey their reality of truth. Auerbach also surprisingly states “the relation of the Elohist to the truth of his story still remains a far more
A sketchy figure by the name of Homer is given credit for the two great epic poems of ancient Greece. The Odyssey and The Iliad influenced Greek culture, education, and morality. Little is known about Homer and many scholars question whether he existed at all. (Encarta) Some say two different unknown authors wrote the two poems. (Britannica) Others say that many oral poets were responsible for the finished products. (Britannica) In this report I will discuss the theories that support the existence of an author named Homer. I will present the theories concerning his place of origin and those concerning the century he was likely to have lived in. I will also discus the artifacts
The similarities between the poems lie in their abilities to utilize imagery as a means to enhance the concept of the fleeting nature that life ultimately has and to also help further elaborate the speaker’s opinion towards their own situation. In Keats’ poem, dark and imaginative images are used to help match with the speaker’s belief that both love and death arise from fate itself. Here, Keats describes the beauty and mystery of love with images of “shadows” and “huge cloudy symbols of a high romance” to illustrate his belief that love comes from fate, and that he is sad to miss out on such an opportunity when it comes time for his own death.
The Odyssey by Homer is a great text that manipulates the skill of storytelling bringing out the meaning of being human, the spiritual and physical homecoming. It is an archetypal epic expedition essential for understanding ourselves and other modern texts following the same pattern. The text brings out the ancient Greek beliefs and customs that are essential in studying Western Literature through the evaluation of different characters, and the themes manifested are essential in establishing a good foundation for any literature student. The themes therein such as leadership skills, folly, retaliation, mythology, death, ogres, temptation seduction, deceit, and warfare make the text an essential student companion in the quest of comprehending literature.
The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for
The Odyssey by Homer is a literary classic that presents many themes about the natures of both man and god. Although the characters of the book display characteristics relatable to those of the people today, one of the most prevalent differences between the two eras and their people is the intense violence that takes place throughout the entirety of the epic. This violence serves several functions in the work as a whole. The violence that is enacted upon the characters of The Odyssey serve as a device to convey the Greek cultural value of reverence of the gods and as a method for the author to create nuances to his characters.
The Odyssey, written by Homer, is a story about an epic journey that takes place during the Bronze Age. The author grabs the attention of the reader by using a variety of tones throughout the tale. By using figurative language, such as hyperboles or similes, the reader can visualize, be a part of the story, and truly understand the author's intended tone. During “The Cyclops” (Book 9), the author presents the reader with what it means to be brave by putting Odysseus in a scene where he is enters a suspicious cave in hope, the hope of some good hospitality and acceptance of rude behavior. As he enters, he is told to be cautious yet he refuses to listen.
Differences. The world is filled with an outrageous number of differences that occur not only naturally, but, also, fall into play when society tells of their own opinions and perspective on a situation. Everyone possesses an individual opinion and each person’s views results in varying perspectives in any situation. Likewise, in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, and the video clip from,”O’ Brother Where Art Thou?,” we see various differences, as well as similarities, in both; this results from differing people telling their perspective and opinion on the given situation. Many similarities are seen, in contrast, there are a variety of obvious differences.
Car vs. boat. The crew going to the sirens vs. the sirens coming to the crew. Similarities. Differences. Homer’s The Odyssey explained in great detail the adventures of him and his crew. However, the clip from the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou” displayed the adventures of The Odyssey in a later time period. The reader deciphered the similarities and diversities between the two texts. The two texts exhibited a few similarities and differences.
Movies. They are constant retellings of some old myths or legends. Most of the time we don't realize it. As much as we don't realize how much these movies fit into the Hero’s Journey. ‘The Odyssey’ is a Greek epic poem created by Homer during the 8th century BC. This poem is a sequel to the ‘Iliad’; It follows the story of Odysseus and his 10 year journey home after the Trojan War. A recent modern version of this story, O Brother, Where Art Thou, is a movie where are hero Ulysses escapes jail, with two other inmates, in order to win back his wife and prevent her from getting married. The film, O Brother, Where Art Thou, is not a successful retelling of the epic poem The Odyssey because, the events that take place and the elements of the hero’s
In the Hebrew Bible and The Odyssey there are heroic figures that play an important role through out each of the books. These heroic figures from the Bible and The Odyssey have many similarities and differences that reflect the different cultures they are from. These heroes are called upon by greater beings, such as gods, to complete difficult journeys and or tasks that the god has made them destined to complete. Each of these legendary heroes demonstrates a particular culture’s needs. Through these journeys and or tasks they are forced to overcome challenging obstacles and make sacrifices.
Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey follows Odysseus on his long journey home. The Epic also includes the stories of Odysseus’ family left behind: the travels of his son, Telemachus, and how plenty, of what we would now call “home wreckers”, suitors pressured his wife, Penelope, into marrying one of them. The characters are beautifully crafted and the story is truly epic. All the elements presented can bring in any reader from any century, the Cyclops, the Gods, the trickery of Penelope, and the disguises of Odysseus, are all legendary literary hooks . There are many things to learn—about writing, about the world around us, the world ahead of us, and the past behind us—from The Odyssey. (26) It is undeniably evident that this ancient text has
In the last but not least Section 8 of “The Sins of Scripture,” John Spong analyzes the writing and history that was used when writing the passages of the bible. It first talks about the Dawn of human history where it mentions the Odyssey. To me the Odyssey is quite interesting because it emphasizes how people saw themselves. The Odyssey demonstrates people who they are, what their values are and fears and anxieties. I think it is pretty interesting because often people ask themselves these sorts of questions.
Homer’s epic poems of The Odyssey and The Iliad both tell a tale of divine intervention. These two poems, however, are more different than alike to their respected their themes of human nature and conflict of personal commitment. Therefore, in regards to theme, The Odyssey is more civil whereas the Iliad is more hostile. Both The Odyssey and The Iliad’s characters experience divine intervention.
The twenty-four old romantic poet John Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn” written in the spring of 1819 was one of his last of six odes. That he ever wrote for he died of tuberculosis a year later. Although, his time as a poet was short he was an essential part of The Romantic period (1789-1832). His groundbreaking poetry created a paradigm shift in the way poetry was composed and comprehended. Indeed, the Romantic period provided a shift from reason to belief in the senses and intuition. “Keats’s poem is able to address some of the most common assumptions and valorizations in the study of Romantic poetry, such as the opposition between “organic culture” and the alienation of modernity”. (O’Rourke, 53) The irony of Keats’s Urn is he likens
Auden is a poet from the XXth century. As such, he has suffered the wars that have stricken the period. The ekphrasis, which is a literary description of a work of art, is used by Auden in his poems “The Shield of Achilles” and “Musée des Beaux Arts”. As part of his great concerns were the political and psychological conflicts that existed then. In the aforementioned poems, Auden uses the ekphrasis to denounce people’s indifference to human misery.