Introduction

The introductory chapter defines the term ‘principle’ situated in Homeric Odyssean Society. The different aspects of the methodology are set out in the chapter. It addresses values scholarship and the various approaches taken by major scholars in this area, particularly Adkins and Cairns. As the book concerns female figures, the methodology also interacts with third wave feminist literary criticisms, which have focused on Homeric epic. The last aspect of the methodology is feminist virtue ethics, because the book is focused on female figures and the values system in Homeric Odyssean Society. The chapter also defines female figures as encompassing both divine and human.