
This volume in the Clarendon Edition of the Works of Thomas Hobbes contains his translations of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, edited by Eric Nelson. Hobbes translated the Homeric poems into English verse during the course of the 1670s, when he was already well into his eighties. These texts constitute his most extensive single undertaking, as well as his last major work. Yet, despite the explosion of interest in Hobbes over the last fifty years, this is the first modern critical edition of the Homer translations. Nelson provides extensive annotation detailing Hobbes's interactions with the Greek text of the epics and with other early-modern editions and commentaries, as well a substantial scholarly introduction placing Hobbes's enterprise in the wider context of Restoration politics and poetics. Nelson also offers a detailed analysis of the translations themselves, identifying the numerous instances in which Hobbes rewrites the poems in order to bring them into alignment with his views on politics, rhetoric, aesthetics, and theology. Hobbes's Iliads and Odysses of Homer, Nelson suggests, should be regarded as a continuation of Leviathan by other means. This edition will be fascinating reading for anyone interested in early-modern political philosophy, literature, and classical studies.
This volume investigates the extent to which Thomas Hobbes utilized his translations of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey as a vehicle for articulating his political and philosophical theories. Editor Eric Nelson, a scholar of political philosophy, provides a critical framework that positions these late-life translations not merely as literary exercises, but as deliberate extensions of Hobbes's core arguments found in Leviathan. By analyzing the specific linguistic and structural choices made by Hobbes, Nelson argues that the philosopher actively reshaped the Homeric epics to reflect his own views on rhetoric, theology, and the nature of political authority.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars and historians of political philosophy identify this edition as a significant contribution to the study of Hobbes's later intellectual output. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the meticulous nature of the annotations, which serve as a foundational resource for those examining the intersection of classical literature and early-modern political thought.
Page Count:
848
Publication Date:
2008-01-01
Publisher:
Clarendon Press
ISBN-10:
0191555657
ISBN-13:
9780191555657
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