{"product_id":"american-odyssey-what-an-ancient-story-reveals-about-our-divided-souls-patrick-j-deneen-hardcover","title":"American Odyssey: What an Ancient Story Reveals about Our Divided Souls -- Patrick J. Deneen, Hardcover","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow the Odyssey illuminates the two sides of the American mind, from one of our most influential cultural commentators.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/em\u003e is 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\n\u003cp\u003eSurprisingly, as the celebrated political philosopher Patrick Deneen explains in this eye-opening book, the \u003cem\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/em\u003e is 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 Odyssey is also our own--as some of our greatest books and films attest, from \u003cem\u003eHuckleberry Finn\u003c\/em\u003e to \u003cem\u003eThe Wizard of Oz\u003c\/em\u003e to \u003cem\u003eField of Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e to \u003cem\u003eIt's a Wonderful Life\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe coincidence of the United States semiquincentennial and the release of the blockbuster film \u003cem\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/em\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\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Patrick J. Deneen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Creed \u0026amp; Culture\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7\/21\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 198\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.85 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8.6\" H x 5.7\" L x 0.9\" W\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781967613328\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Flowerburst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67442280366384,"sku":"9781967613328","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2712\/8368\/files\/9781967613328.jpg?v=1785778931","url":"https:\/\/flowerburst.co\/products\/american-odyssey-what-an-ancient-story-reveals-about-our-divided-souls-patrick-j-deneen-hardcover","provider":"Flowerburst","version":"1.0","type":"link"}