Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature

“[M]en and things stand out in a realm where everything is visible; and not less clear—wholly expressed, orderly even in their ardor—are the feelings and thoughts of the persons involved.”

Here Auerbach explains the foregrounding that he argues is so important to Homer’s realism in the Odyssey. By foregrounding, Auerbach means that everything is expressed and placed at the forefront of the narrative, rather than being concealed and only hinted at.

“The digressions are not meant to keep the reader in suspense, but rather to relax the tension.”

Auerbach opens Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature with consideration of tension in the Odyssey. This quote is important for its explanation of Homer’s style of using flashbacks in narrative. Some critics have argued that interruptions of tense scenes cause a build-up of tension, but Auerbach argues instead that the flashbacks are foregrounded in a way that makes the listener (or reader) forget the action of the scene they just left.

“[T]he Homeric poems conceal nothing, they contain no teaching and no secret second meaning. Homer can be analyzed, as we have essayed to do here, but he cannot be interpreted.”

This quote is related to Auerbach’s assertion that Homer foregrounds and makes explicit every aspect of the narrative. Here, however, Auerbach explains the importance of this: If everything is foregrounded, then interpretation is not necessarily (nor is it possible).