The Touch of a Lady: The Feminine Perspective of The Odyssey’s Creator
Although the true author of The Odyssey may never be apparent, the epic’s creator shows a definite feminine mindset. The identity of Homer has long been a debate amongst scholars. The Odyssey was originally told through oral narrative and was never written down in full. This allowed a concept called “oral theory” to take place. Oral theory states that every time a narrative is performed, a small part of it is altered, whether it is intentional or accidental. The length and popularity of The Odyssey functioned to perpetuate its adaption into its contents today. The creator can never be unquestionably defined. It is unclear whether the author is identified as the one who conceived…show more content… The poem is full of sensory details that can only be noticed by a meticulous eye. Samuel Butler wrote on the topic of Homer being a female, “there is much beauty which a man would be almost certain to neglect” that is referenced multiple times by both Odysseus and the story’s orator (Butler 9). Countless sensory details and Homeric similes utilized in the poem are so comprehensive that it takes a mind with painstaking awareness of detail to notice much of what is depicted. For example, when Odysseus arrives at the palace of Alcinous and Arete, the speaker illustrates “a kind of radiance, like that of the sun or moon, [that] played upon the high-roofed halls of the great King” (7.84-96). The beauty presented here takes a fine eye and would be most likely overlooked by the war-oriented men of the time period. Furthermore, The Odyssey drifts away from most men’s focuses during ancient Greece. The Iliad, said to have been The Odyssey’s complement, is predominantly written about war, violence, and triumph. The material is based more on action and adventure. In contrast, The Odyssey has very few action-filled scenes. The epic has much more dialogue and emotionally driven situations. Finally, the tone throughout the story has a gentle and emotional feeling behind it. Mary Ebbott quotes Samuel Butler in her article analyzing his book, The Authoress of The Odyssey, saying that “it is sweetness rather than strength that fascinates us throughout The Odyssey” (Ebbott 9). The epic tells the story of Odysseus’s journey to return home to his wife and son after the Trojan War. All of this actions are fueled by his desire to reach his family, showing the devotion and care Odysseus has towards his loved ones. The adventurous voyage he goes through to this homeland is downplayed; Homer condenses it into books nine through twelve. Meanwhile, the