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Jeff_999 Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

What do you think?

0 “Its subject(to use Maynard Mack’s categories)is ‘life-as-spectacle’ for readers, diverted by its various incidents, 01i00 observe its hero Odysseus primarily from without 02i00; the tragic Iliad, however, presents ‘life-as-experience’: readers are asked to identify with the mind of Achilles, whose motivations render him a not particularly likable hero.” 02br
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00Is there something wrong with the phrase “01i00 observe 02i00 its hero Odysseus primarily from without”? 02br
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00I think it should be “Its subject is ‘life-as-spectacle’ for readers, (who are) diverted by its various incidents to observe its hero Odysseus primarily from without.” 0-
  

Top answer

0 Hello Jeff 02br 02br 00Your question is always difficult. I would like to paraphrase this one as; 02br 02br 00The Odyssey's subject is 'life-as-spectacle' for readers who, though they might be diverted by its various incidents, observe its hero Odysseus primarily from without. On the other hand, 'life-as-experience' is the subject of the tragic Iliad, where readers are asked to identify with the mind of Achilles, whose motivations render him a not particularly likable hero.

— Paco2004

  • 0 Hello Jeff 02br 02br 00Your question is always difficult.
  • I would like to paraphrase this one as; 02br 02br 00The Odyssey's subject is 'life-as-spectacle' for readers who, though they might be diverted by its various incidents, observe its hero Odysseus primarily from without.
  • On the other hand, 'life-as-experience' is the subject of the tragic Iliad, where readers are asked to identify with the mind of Achilles, whose motivations render him a not particularly likable hero.
  • 02br 02br 00What I cannot get here is "observe Odysseus from without".
  • Is it "observe Odysseus from a position where they can never live a life rich with spectacles"?
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7 Answers
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0 Hello Jeff 02br
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00Your question is always difficult. I would like to paraphrase this one as; 02br
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00The Odyssey's subject is 'life-as-spectacle' for readers who, though they might be diverted by its various incidents, observe its hero Odysseus primarily from without. On the other hand, 'life-as-experience' is the subject of the tragic Iliad, wh
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0 I agree. There's something missing. 02br
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00Its subject ... is ... for readers, who, diverted by its various incidents, observe its hero Odysseus primarily from without; ... 02br
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00CJ 0-
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0 Here's an alternative: 02br
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00"Its subject(to use Maynard Mack’s categories)is ‘life-as-spectacle’01b00,02b00 for readers, diverted by its various incidents, observe its hero Odysseus primarily from without ; the tragic Iliad, however, presents ‘life-as-experience’: readers are asked to identify with the mind of Achilles, whose motivations render
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0 Thank you all. 02br
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00But I still don’t get 02br
00“Its subject ... is ... for readers, who, diverted by its various incidents, observe its hero Odysseus primarily from without;” 02br
00And it’s alternative one, 02br
00“Its subject(to use Maynard Mack’s categories)is ‘life-as-spectacle’, for readers, diverted by its various inciden
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0 Hello Jeff 02br
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00I think MrP took 'for' as a conjunctive in the sense of "because". You can't align two independent predicative clauses "are diverted by its various incidents" and "observe Odysseus" in parallel. "Diverted by its various incidents" is working here as an adverbial participle clause. 02br
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00paco 0-
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0 Paco puts it better than I could. I meant this sense: 02br
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00"Its subject(to use Maynard Mack’s categories)is ‘life-as-spectacle’, since readers (diverted by its various incidents) observe its hero Odysseus primarily from without..." 02br
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00MrP 0-
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0 Thank you! 02br
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00What about CalifJim's? 050010id1
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