Phemius Suite

This article examines four connected aspects of Phemius’ performance in Odyssey 1. The first section examines the poet’s unusual technique in relating Phemius’ music to other, simultaneous sounds in the ‘soundscape’ of Odysseus’ hall. The second argues that the suitors’ initial dancing develops into...

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Main Author: Thomas, Oliver
Format: Article
Published: Cambridge University Press 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32307/
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author Thomas, Oliver
author_facet Thomas, Oliver
author_sort Thomas, Oliver
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description This article examines four connected aspects of Phemius’ performance in Odyssey 1. The first section examines the poet’s unusual technique in relating Phemius’ music to other, simultaneous sounds in the ‘soundscape’ of Odysseus’ hall. The second argues that the suitors’ initial dancing develops into a theme of appropriate and inappropriate nimbleness which, in particular, creates significant connections between books 1 and 22. The third section shows that the poet is suggestive but studiedly vague on the politics of Phemius’ first song which, in the final section, I interpret as a self-reflexive and open-ended ‘lesson’ in how to read epic.
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spelling nottingham-323072020-05-04T20:15:54Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32307/ Phemius Suite Thomas, Oliver This article examines four connected aspects of Phemius’ performance in Odyssey 1. The first section examines the poet’s unusual technique in relating Phemius’ music to other, simultaneous sounds in the ‘soundscape’ of Odysseus’ hall. The second argues that the suitors’ initial dancing develops into a theme of appropriate and inappropriate nimbleness which, in particular, creates significant connections between books 1 and 22. The third section shows that the poet is suggestive but studiedly vague on the politics of Phemius’ first song which, in the final section, I interpret as a self-reflexive and open-ended ‘lesson’ in how to read epic. Cambridge University Press 2014-01 Article PeerReviewed Thomas, Oliver (2014) Phemius Suite. Journal of Hellenic Studies, 134 . pp. 89-102. ISSN 2041-4099 Homer Odyssey Phemius metapoetics reader-response http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9456980&fileId=S007542691400007X doi:10.1017/S007542691400007X doi:10.1017/S007542691400007X
spellingShingle Homer
Odyssey
Phemius
metapoetics
reader-response
Thomas, Oliver
Phemius Suite
title Phemius Suite
title_full Phemius Suite
title_fullStr Phemius Suite
title_full_unstemmed Phemius Suite
title_short Phemius Suite
title_sort phemius suite
topic Homer
Odyssey
Phemius
metapoetics
reader-response
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32307/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32307/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32307/