What is "Polytrope"? And why?
"Polytrope" comes from the Ancient Greek word "polytropos" or "polutropos." The basic meaning is, "(a man) of many turns;" the epic poet Homer (8th century B.C.) uses it to describe his hero Odysseus's versatility and resourcefulness. That's the "what." The "why" has something to do with the fact that William Porter, Polytrope's owner, is a former classics professor (Ph.D., Classics, Boston University; Mellon Foundation Fellow in Renaissance Studies, Brandeis University; Visiting Associate Professor, Classical Languages, Syracuse University; Assistant/Associate Professor of Classical Languages and Honors, University of Houston).
A Roman mosaic showing Ulysses (= Odysseus) listening to the sirens.
"At fifteen, I set my mind upon learning. At thirty, I took my stand. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of heaven..." (Confucius, Analects 2.3, trans. Simon Leys)
This page last modified: 8-Aug-04 11:42 PM