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/lit/ - Literature

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18683246 No.18683246 [Reply] [Original]

>starts listing all contingents with corresponding commanders and kings for 11 pages straight
Does it add anything to the plot or am I just being filtered?

>> No.18683260

That's how I felt with The Brothers Karamazov, never got past that introduction and started watching porn

>> No.18683268

>>18683246
you are being filtered like coffee man.

>> No.18683284

the role of the oral poet was that of memoriousness. these details serve to remind the hellenes who they were.

>> No.18683289

just play the assassin's creed game, it's the same stuff but better

>> No.18683302

>>18683246
Check lines 357-368. That's Nestor's suggestion for discerning the good from the bad troops, and so how to discern whether, if they lose to Troy, it's on account of ignorance in warfare or because of divine decree.

>> No.18683314

>>18683246
The whole point is to be remembered and have your name and deeds passed down for eternity. By listing their names Homer is essentially honouring them in that way. The fact you're reading their names speaks to that sentiment (that's pretty neat, no?) It's a Bronze Age thing. If history isnt your cup of tea, however, I could see it being pretty pointless.

>> No.18683674

>>18683314
This but also:
Now imagine you're some low level drachma counter for a lowly chief at Chalcis. Of you're own lineage, your grandfather once told you that his grandfather immigrated from Elis, but that that's as far back as you know. Then, one day a blind dude shows up and start reciting parts of your family history. "Wow, Diores from Elis! That's my namesake," you think to yourself. You listen to the cataloger intently, remembering the names of everyone you believe to be related to your families history. You had no idea your ancestors were so hecking based.

It's basically ancestry and 23andme for ancient Greeks. It also lends legitimacy to the poet by linking his tale to the local history of each area he may visit or of those listening.

>> No.18683676

The only time this added anything was in Meditations.

>> No.18683723

>>18683289
you know, other than just being, essentially, a single player version of world of warcraft, its a fine game- what prevented me from continuing was this nonsense decision to do a 50/50 gender split across the entire game. half of every npc type is female, meaning that half of the bandits and soldiers you end up killing are women. huh?! isn't this series supposed to be historically accurate? nevermind the weird feeling I get for butchering women all game. i wonder if there's a mod to fix it.

>> No.18683729

>>18683246
Yes

>> No.18683744

>>18683246
You have to imagine it as it would have been performed, probably by a guy chanting or singing, possibly accompanied with a lyre.

>> No.18683772

>>18683723
>isn't this series supposed to be historically accurate
Sadly, no. But I thought about pirating Odyssey just to see if I can immerse myself in the world, the landscapes seem gorgeous. Other than the women thing, how did you enjoy it? Any cool historical/mythological characters in there?

>> No.18683784

>>18683772
i didn't get that far desu. i quit after about 6 hours so if there was mystical stuff i didn't discover it. the people talk about it all the time, but it appeared to be a naturalistic game to me.
anyway other than the women thing it was great. again it's a WoW/open world mindless kinda thing. go here, do thing, pick apples, kill guys. like shadow of mordor. if you like that kinda game, this does it very well. great graphics and sound. when you go on your boat, your crew does greek sea shanties. the horse riding feels very good.
it's nu-assassin's creed, you already know what to expect

>> No.18683808

>>18683784
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Bi95wJlJw&ab_channel=GamingCitadel
here they are. if you want immersion and atmosphere, if you want to be a grecian dude, ya this game has it. pirate it though.

>> No.18683858

>>18683246
Imagine all these men lay siege to Troy

>> No.18683865

>>18683246
You're getting filtered. In terms of plot, it's all about a sense of scale for the war, and also a rollcall, basically a who's who of the ancient world at the time. As >>18683284 writes, it's also to make the person reading it seem more impressive, and tell the listeners who's there.

>> No.18683992
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18683992

>>18683246
>Does it add anything to the plot or am I just being filtered?
To experience History you need Memory; Memory is a part of Identity.

You are being presented the Identity of those who experienced those events and in turn by being told that Story you now carry and are part of that same Identity.

>> No.18684014

Also, all those places were known at the time. It's basically like listing off every country that was involved in WW2. Really makes you realize how huge the war was because those cities are all over the fucking map

>> No.18684054

>>18683246
that's cool imagine you had a familiy who fought in that war and you'd be like "yeah! that's my dad right there!"

>> No.18684056

>>18683314
>>18683674
Not OP, but now I can understand it. I remember reading it for a high school book project and it was pretty tough to slog through it. When things got heated, it was a whirlwind of activity, but between the fighting held as much interest in me as reading a dictionary.

>> No.18684166

>>18683723
All modern media is political. Consume nothing from the last 100 years.

>> No.18684170

>>18683246
It gives you a sense for the war's immense scale (made even more impressive considering the timeframe). Name dropping a bunch of people and telling the backstories of a fair few, while not giving time to be attached to them, makes things fell real, as if the reader was there. Most novels will say millions died here and billions died there, but they never go beyond that so it doesn't stir any emotion out of the reader.

>> No.18684252

>>18683314
Fucking IRL Plain of the Glittering Stones. It is an immortality of sorts...

In all seriousness stories of Antiquity do filter me, but I also really appreciate the parts like this, where deeds and names of great men and women are listed. I actually don't think I ever gave it a though until I enlisted in the USMC.