At 12:58 PM 03/08/01 -0700, Dirk Johnson wrote: >If Tim expects the Greek heroes to be middle class Americans, he should >probably just go back to reading the New York Times, if he can handle it. My, we're a bit tetchy aren't we? While I'm neither American nor middle-class, many people who are just fine by me are both. Given that the Times' canonical readers is hardly your basic M.C.American, you should pay more attention to rhetorical consistency in future polemics. My problem with most of Homer's characters is that they're vicious, self-important, thin-skinned, and dishonest. I acknowledge that many have loved these books and that probably there's something there, just (unlike the Cantos) not for me. And let me reiterate my recommendation of T.E. Lawrence's letters, and not just for their remarks on Homer (and one or two on EP if I recall correctly) - really great stuff. >Or if he really wants to make decisions about Homer he should take the time >and put out the effort to read the Iliad in Greek. That may well be it. -Tim