Description
Few figures have inspired so many masterpieces of literature and art as Ulysses. Writers like Homer, Sophocles, Dante, Tennyson, and Joyce and artists like Primaticcio, Tibaldi, Poussin, and Rubens have presented him in every period of creative art. Sometimes he appears as an admirable hero, sometimes as a cunning rogue. His image arouses our interest and challenges conventional ideas about what constitutes heroism and villainy. The Quest for Ulysses tries to determine the truth about this fascinating personality. It explores the world of fact and the world of imagination. The first two chapters give the background to the Ulysses legend, comparing Homer's narrative with the accounts in the Epic Cycle. The first four chapters examine what is now known about Greece and her neighbors in the early ages when the Trojan War was fought and won with the help of Ulysses. Every year, new archaeological discoveries add to our knowledge of Ulysses and his historical background. With this new archaeological evidence of the art, life, and language of the Mycenaean Age, The Quest for Ulysses embarks on the historical and archaeological part of the quest. The rest of the book considers the large store of mythology, literature, and art in which Ulysses plays a major role.
