Leaping

Abstract

This chapter considers the last gesture that Odysseus performs in the Odyssey: a single leap ten lines before the poem’s end. It understands that leap within the context of formulaic epic action, whose gestures function as a series of habituated impulses that almost automatically drive the actions of their characters forward. In the case of Odysseus, however, his final leap expresses an instance of “rebellious repetition,” in which the kinaesthetic reflex of his body runs counter to the demands of the narrative. The chapter traces Odysseus’ leap through two passages in the Iliad (Achilles’ partial drawing of his sword in Book 1 and Hector’s last leap in Book 22) and one in the Aeneid (the death of Turnus). It argues that each of these gestures shows the epic body caught in a moment of conflict between its own epic impulses and the demands of narrative form.