The Anger of Achilles: Mênis in Greek Epic

by Leonard Muellner

"Menis opens for consideration an immense range of significant poetic possibilities, not the least of which is that of an ethical sense for the term." Bryn Mawr Classical Review"Henceforth no one will be able to claim that menis merely connotes strong emotion. Muellner has demonstrated that menis is a critical component of the workings of both the human and divine cosmos. And that is no small accomplishment." American Journal of Philology"It is high praise, and deserved, to say that this study will take its place . . . as one of the works that have given us insights into truly fundamental issues in Homer." Classical JournalLeonard Muellner's goal is to restore the Greek word for the anger of Achilles, menis, to its social, mythical, and poetic contexts. His point of departure is the anthropology of emotions. He believes that notions of anger vary between cultures and that the particular meaning of a word such as menis needs to emerge from a close study of Greek epic. Menis means more than an individual's emotional response. On the basis of the epic exemplifications of the word, Muellner defines the term as a cosmic sanction against behavior that violates the most basic rules of human society. To understand the way menis functions, Mueller stresses both the power and the danger that accrue to a person who violates such rules. Transgressive behavior has both a creative and a destructive aspect.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 1996

Reviews

[Josiah DeGraaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really niche work designed for literary nerds who have decided that they're willing to pick up a book that spends a couple hundred pages talking about the meaning of one single Greek word in the Iliad.

(Granted it's a really complicated word that's also the central theme of that work... but I digress.)

I picked up this book in hopes that it would inform my understanding and teaching of the Iliad. I was successful in that regard. Granted, there's much more information in here than I can convey to a class of 9th grade students about the meaning of menis, but it gave me a fuller understanding of the work and how it was used so that I can best weave it into my curriculum and explanations to them.

For myself, this work tended to be a bit too long and go down more rabbit trails than I would have cared for. I would probably have been fine with a book that's half as long. But my interests are more in high school education than in academics so in that regard, I'm not the ideal audience. While I don't know that I agreed with Muellner's literary interpretation of the Iliad (I think Achilles' attack on the Greek warrior ethic in his confrontation with Odysseus/Phoenix/Ajax is more relevant than Muellner indicates), his unpacking of the meaning of menin was rather valuable, and I was glad to have read this work.

Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).

[Isabella Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

oh hell yeah

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lengthy but inciteful. Entire book focused on the discussion of a single ancient greek word. I thought the conclusions were fascinating but Muellner spends a LOT of time just paraphrasing the Iliad.

[Mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love you Leonard Muellner

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technically beyond me but really helpful as a way of understanding the essential dramatic engine of the Iliad