Abstract

ALVAREZ RODRIGUEZ*, Bárbara. Lotófagos, Sirenas y otros seres: la construcción de la alteridad neutra en la épica griega. Synthesis (La Plata) [online]. 2019, vol.26, n.1, pp.48-48. ISSN 0328-1205.  http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24215/1851779xe048.

In the Homeric thought the relationships among men and the monstrosity alterity is seen as a king of fight between beastliness and rationality. The dangers waiting for Odysseus and his companions in all these encounters is the death, not a beautiful death thought, but an ignominious end, since it means the oblivion. The only sources for the heroes to fight against it is the god's help and the use of their rationality or their cunning. The main aim of this paper is to draw a philosophical analysis of some of the Odysseus' encounters with the monstrosity in order to get a better understanding the relationship among humans and the neutral alterity. The Sirens, the Cyclopes or the Laestrigones belong to the radical otherness, the totally Other. Through the story of travel, the poet draws a dystopian world, completely away from human standards, where social norms are not respected, and the experiences of daily life are not enough to deal with the dangers that this border area presents.

Keywords : Odyssey; Neutral alterity; Monstrosity; Epic; Philosophy.

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