“The task of hearing as Homer’s audience did requires the apparently paradoxical task of listening for what is unspoken.”
Originally published in 1992 and reprinted in 2011 with six essays, The Power of Thetis explores the ways the Iliad engages, via the relationship between Thetis, Achilles, and Zeus, a traditional motif—goddesses who seek immortality for their mortal sons or lovers—to explore a theme of human mortality. Slatkin pulls at the threads of allusion woven throughout the poem to reveal Thetis’ cosmic significance in the Iliad.
Brilliantly argued, intricately constructed, and accessibly written, the book and essays helped me think about:
—the social nature of subjectivity in the Iliad
—The Iliad as a time loop in which macro- and microcosms are continuously, paradoxically collapsing and expanding into and against each other
—Tradition as multiverse that we, the Iliad’s modern readers, have very partial access to (rather like how the mortals in the poem lack access to the gods’ plans and intentions…).
I highly recommend this book and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
So much to think about here…. The opening of what you wrote makes me think of how so many historical works, even far more recent ones, can’t be read in totally the same way by the general public because we don’t have the same context/pop culture/contemporary knowledge as readers did at that time. There will always be jokes and references we just won’t understand or that won’t impact us the same way. I know that this is why I really appreciate excellent footnotes when I read an older work, but of course not all of them have these, alas. The works of Shakespeare do, but rarely have I come across an edition of, say, a work by Jane Austen or Charles Dickens that does, and yet, that could be so helpful, too.
Secondly, this: “The Iliad as a time loop in which macro- and microcosms are continuously, paradoxically collapsing and expanding into and against each other”. What a wonderful and impressive way to see a work of literature! It makes me understand how and why you love this poem so much. I appreciate a lot of things about The Iliad, but never really thought about it this way, how it continues to influence a lot about modern thought/literature. Thanks for that insight. And for making me think that the same thing applies to many older works I love and come back to, as well, like fairy tales.
As always, thanks so much for giving me so much to think about!
Thank YOU, Alysa! Your comments always inspire me to appreciate the connections among genres and across time periods. Love this point about footnotes for Dickens and Jane Austen. I have a few Dickens editions with footnotes, which I agree are so incredibly valuable. Even just realizing that, 150 years on, so many little references had become obscure. It makes me inexplicably happy when historians have to admit, “we don’t know what this means.” I love being reminded of all the mysteries, great and small, that are all around us 🧡