Abstract

JAIME GONZALEZ, Martha Cecilia. The Dwellings of Penelope. Nova tellus [online]. 2019, vol.37, n.2, pp.11-26. ISSN 0185-3058.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.nt.2019.37.2.815.

Homer’s account of Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca refers, as well, the waiting of queen Penelope in the palace, a lapse that includes the ten-year Trojan War and ten more years for her husband to return. At home, Penelope experiences all kinds of emotional conflicts while trying to preserve Odysseus’ property unscathed and productive. This paper will focus on the passages in which the environment is always presented as a companion within the narrative of Penelope’s suffering and schemes; by doing so, we will observe the ways in which the surroundings become an ally for the queen since the first chant. Odysseus’ adventures keep particular links with the spaces surrounding Penelope. This paper intends to demonstrate these meta-readings. As a literary work that, according to recent studies, is the most influential narrative in the Western world, the Odyssey has been adressed from a great variety of viewpoints; however, we think our analysis, which compares Architecture and Literature, offers an original and relevant perspective.

Keywords : Odyssey; Space; Dwellings; Penelope; Analysis.