Od. XI, 363-9: truth and lies in Alcinous' reception of the apólogoi

• Grant number: 17/01093-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: September 01, 2017
• End date: February 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Classical Languages
• Principal Investigator: André Malta Campos
• Grantee: Rafael de Almeida Semêdo
• Supervisor: Irene Jacqueline Frederike de Jong
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Amsterdam (UvA), Netherlands
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/05138-9 - Od. XI, 363-9: truth and lies in Alcinous' reception of the apólogoi, BP.MS

Abstract

This work examines the first verses of Alcinous' reception of Odysseus' adventures in the Odyssey, when the king of the Phaeaceans says his guest doesn't seem like a liar, a cheater or a producer of falsehoods (XI, 363-9). Aided by Narratology, or the Theory of Narrative, it investigates the contradictions between such a speech and the characterization of Odysseus in the Odyssey as an absolute liar. How is one to interpret this discrepancy between the king's comment and the hero's personality: irony? Compliment? Naivety?