{"product_id":"american-odyssey-what-an-ancient-story-reveals-about-our-divided-souls-9781967613328","title":"American Odyssey: What an Ancient Story Reveals about Our Divided Souls","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates\u003cbr\u003ethe two sides of the American mind, from one of our most influential cultural commentators.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eOdyssey \u003c\/i\u003eis among the oldest-known written works. Yet it is somehow profoundly contemporary. Its themes are inescapably human: the desire to strike out for new adventures; the aspiration to be more than human; the temptation to wallow in beastlike torpor; the impulse to exact vengeance; the possibility that mercy might bring a violent cycle to an end.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSurprisingly, as the celebrated political philosopher Patrick Deneen explains in this eye-opening book, the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey \u003c\/i\u003eis also the most American of ancient texts. Like Odysseus, Americans have two fundamental impulses: we are a people simultaneously animated by commitments to being at home and leaving home. Deneen shows us that the deep ambivalence at the heart of the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey \u003c\/i\u003eis also our own--as some of our greatest books and films attest, from \u003ci\u003eHuckleberry Finn\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eThe Wizard of Oz\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eField of Dreams \u003c\/i\u003eto \u003ci\u003eIt\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003es a Wonderful Life\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe coincidence of the United States semiquincentennial and the release of the blockbuster film \u003ci\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e affords a remarkable opportunity to explore the deep similarities between the ancient Greek epic and the American character. With his characteristic insight, Deneen reveals how Americans' Western inheritance contains a paradox, and a set of tensions, that remain at the core of our divided souls.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Patrick J. Deneen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Creed \u0026amp; Culture\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/21\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 198\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.60h x 5.70w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781967613328\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDeneen, Patrick J.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003ePatrick J. Deneen\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, where he has taught since 2012. He is the author or editor of nine books, including the bestselling \u003cem\u003eWhy Liberalism Failed\u003c\/em\u003e, which has been translated into over twenty languages and was recommended by former President Barack Obama. Deneen is the author or editor of eight books and dozens of articles on a wide range of subjects. He taught previously at Princeton University and Georgetown University and served as Special Assistant and Speechwriter for the Director of the United States Information Agency from 2005 to 2007.","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Patrick J. Deneen \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":48719957852317,"sku":"9781967613328","price":31.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_8c2d39e9-e79c-475c-b03b-2b9b7eb86071.jpg?v=1785312986","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/american-odyssey-what-an-ancient-story-reveals-about-our-divided-souls-9781967613328","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}