Ithacan

““Did you say ’wooden horse’?[”] the Ithacan king asked. [“]You know, there might be something in that.[”]”

“Atwood’s novella was her commissioned response to The Odyssey: the Homeric epic re-told from the point of view of the wandering hero’s wife, Penelope, who remained chastely and patiently in their Ithacan palace during the 10 years her husband was away besieging Troy and the further 10 years it took him to get back home again.”

“The author was said to be an Ithacan youth, not a Cornell student, who had attended some literary seminars at the university and was now reported on the West Coast.”

“Saskia is not the first memorable 12-year-old to have sprung from the head of an Ithacan author. It was during his professorship at Cornell that Vladimir Nabokov engendered the smart-mouthed, coolly carnal Lolita Haze, the namesake of his most famous novel.”

“By a 71 percent majority in a referendum last month, the Ithacans called for a reversal of an Athens Government decision that had included the island's capital among 400 preserved areas where construction is severely restricted.”

“Landmann depicts their song as long, violet-colored streamers that, yes, indeed, wrap like cords around the body of the wandering Ithacan.”

“Undoubtedly the honors for the week ending October 17 went to Cornell. The Ithacans identified Element No. 87 and all the Princeton ball-carriers.”

“When the Pittsburgh flights end in November, Ithacans will be able to fly only to Philadelphia or to LaGuardia Airport in New York.”