Actually the Odyssey has many passages that make me shudder. The Iliad, which begins with warriors who diss each other like professional wrestlers - that's more my style.
But Wilson has a point. We can read works with passages like this for the same reason we listen to outlaw ballads, i.e., to broaden our sensibilities. And with Tom Dooley, at least, justice is done.
We live very different lives than the original audience of this epic. Originally, this was probably presented to an audience with the story told aloud. The twenty four books must have taken a long time to present, a real miniseries. The killing of the enslaved women came at the end after the fantastic adventures that Odysseus had. I wonder whether the original listeners and recounters believed in Cyclops, Sirens, Circe, and the other wonders. Perhaps, this conditioned their attitude toward the hangings; did they think it was just another tall tale that seafarers are known for?
We, of course, don’t believe in sea monsters, but our times have certainly seen great suffering by innocents during conflicts.
Actually the Odyssey has many passages that make me shudder. The Iliad, which begins with warriors who diss each other like professional wrestlers - that's more my style.
But Wilson has a point. We can read works with passages like this for the same reason we listen to outlaw ballads, i.e., to broaden our sensibilities. And with Tom Dooley, at least, justice is done.
We live very different lives than the original audience of this epic. Originally, this was probably presented to an audience with the story told aloud. The twenty four books must have taken a long time to present, a real miniseries. The killing of the enslaved women came at the end after the fantastic adventures that Odysseus had. I wonder whether the original listeners and recounters believed in Cyclops, Sirens, Circe, and the other wonders. Perhaps, this conditioned their attitude toward the hangings; did they think it was just another tall tale that seafarers are known for?
We, of course, don’t believe in sea monsters, but our times have certainly seen great suffering by innocents during conflicts.