GRE: No. 7-3 A1Of Homer’s two epic poems, the Odyssey has always been more popular thanthe Iliad, perhaps because it includes more features of mythology that areaccessible to readers. Its subject (to use Maynard Mack’s categories) is “life-as-spectacle,” for readers, diverted by its various incidents, observe its heroOdysseus primarily from without; the tragic Iliad, however, presents “life-as-experience”: readers are asked to identify with the mind of Achilles, whosemotivations render him a not particularly likable hero. In addition, the Iliad, morethan the Odyssey, suggests the complexity of the gods’ involvement in humanactions, and to the extent that modern readers find this complexity a needlesscomplication, the Iliad is less satisfying than the Odyssey, with its simpler schemeof divine justice. Finally, since the Iliad presents a historically verifiable action,Troy’s siege, the poem raises historical questions that are absent from theOdyssey’s blithely imaginative world.17. The author uses Mack’s “categories” (lines 4-5) most probably in order to(A) argue that the Iliad should replace the Odyssey as the more popularpoem(B) indicate Mack’s importance as a commentator on the Iliad and theOdyssey(C) suggest one way in which the Iliad and the Odyssey can bedistinguished(D) point out some of the difficulties faced by readers of the Iliad and theOdyssey(E) demonstrate that the Iliad and the Odyssey can best be distinguishedby comparing their respective heroes18. The author suggests that the variety of incidents in the Odyssey is likely todeter the reader from(A) concentrating on the poem’s mythological features(B) concentrating on the psychological states of the poem’s centralcharacter(C) accepting the ...
