Odysseus the Schedographer

doi:10.1017/9781009085762.006

Chapter 5 - Odysseus the Schedographer

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 August 2023

Valeria F. Lovato

Edited by

Baukje van den Berg ,

Divna Manolova and

Przemysław Marciniak

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Baukje van den Berg: Affiliation:
Central European University, Vienna
Divna Manolova: Affiliation:
University of York
Przemysław Marciniak: Affiliation:
University of Silesia, Katowice

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Summary

In his Parekbolai on the Odyssey, the twelfth-century polymath Eustathios of Thessalonike often uses the figure of Odysseus as a starting point to meditate upon crucial themes such as the role of poetry, the duties of the exegete and the qualities of the ideal rhetor. The first part of this chapter focuses on one such passage, where Eustathios analyses the famous ‘linguistic stratagem’ concocted by Odysseus to fool Polyphemus. The sophistic subtlety of Odysseus’ plan leads Eustathios to insert a long excursus on schedography, a rhetorical exercise that was increasingly popular in Komnenian Byzantium. As I argue, in Eustathios’ eyes, the Homeric text is nothing more than a sort of schedographic display ante litteram. More interestingly still, this interpretation provides Eustathios with an ideal pretext for a lesson on rhetorical ‘good taste’. The second part of the chapter examines an extract from John Tzetzes’ Histories in which Odysseus and his adventures again feature as a starting point for reflecting upon contemporary schedography. In this section, I show that, despite some similarities with Eustathios’ ideas, Tzetzes takes a more dogmatic position. As a matter of fact, Tzetzes’ careful depiction of Odysseus might even be interpreted as a subtle criticism of Eustathios’ standpoint.

Keywords

Eustathios of Thessalonike Parekbolai on Homer John Tzetzes Histories Homer Odyssey schedography rhetorical ‘good taste’Polyphemus Circe

Type: Chapter
Information: Byzantine Commentaries on Ancient Greek Texts, 12th–15th Centuries , pp. 148 - 168

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009085762.006 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2022

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Chapter 5 - Odysseus the Schedographer

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