Odysseus and the Phaeacians

Two unique events occur in Book 11 of the Odyssey as Odysseus tells the Phaeacians about his visit to Hades: first, Odysseus includes a story known as the catalogue of women that seems to have nothing to do with himself and his own adventures or with anybody else in the Odyssey; second, there is an interruption, known as the intermezzo, in Odysseus\u27 story, and a conversation takes place among Odysseus, Arete, and Alkinoos before the narrative is resumed. These two occurrences have much to say about the interaction between Odysseus and the Phaeacians, and also about the interaction between the epic poet and his audience