Homer Beside Himself: Para-narratives in the Iliad [Hardcover]

In this book Dr Alden offers advice on how to read theIliadthrough the relationship of major paradigms to the events of the main narrative. The first section offers the first full-length study in English of the paradigmatic functions of secondary narratives and minor-key episodes in theIliad. None of these are irrelevant or merely ornamental: rather each is carefully selected and altered if necessary, to reflect on significant episodes of the main narrative and act as guides to its interpretation. The second section offers a general reading of theIliadarising out of Phoenix's advice to Achilles in Book 9.