The Authoress of the Odyssey / Where and when she wrote, who she was, the use she made of the Iliad, and how the poem grew under her hands

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

49324

Title

The Authoress of the Odyssey / Where and when she wrote, who she was, the use she made of the Iliad, and how the poem grew under her hands

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In this provocative literary detective story, Samuel Butler argues that the ancient Greek epic, the Odyssey, was written by a woman in the 11th century B.C. Butler meticulously analyzes the text, claiming the author's feminine perspective, specific geographical knowledge of Sicily, and unconscious borrowings from the Iliad reveal her identity. The work challenges traditional scholarship, proposing a female poetess who knew the landscape of Trapani and Sicily intimately, offering a fresh, controversial, and engaging re-evaluation of Homer's masterpiece.

Summary up to 500 words

In 'The Authoress of the Odyssey,' Samuel Butler presents a provocative thesis challenging the traditional attribution of the epic to the blind bard Homer. Butler argues that the poem was composed by a single female author, likely a Sicilian woman living around 1100 B.C. He constructs this case through a meticulous examination of the text, asserting that the poetess possessed specific, intimate knowledge of the Sicilian landscape, particularly the regions around Trapani, Eryx, and the island of Marettimo. Butler contends that only a local woman would have known the harbor of Rheithron and the geography of Eryx with such precision, details that a blind Greek bard could not have acquired. Furthermore, he identifies numerous 'feminine errors' and unconscious borrowings from the *Iliad* that suggest a single, female hand guided the composition. Butler defends the use of traditional Latin names for Greek gods and heroes, arguing they convey personality better than modern transliterations, and maintains that the poem was written at one place by one person. He addresses critics directly, noting their silence as a tacit agreement with his findings. The work blends rigorous textual analysis with a confident, sometimes combative tone, inviting scholars to examine the evidence rather than relying on preconceived academic theories. Butler's spirited defense challenges the established scholarly consensus of his day, proposing that the *Odyssey* grew under the hands of a specific woman who wove her local experiences and memories into the legendary narrative.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Classics
• Literary Criticism
• Women and Literature