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adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found The Odyssey a difficult one to review. On the one hand, I recognize that this story, or indeed, poem, is one of the first pieces of Western literature. As such, and given its scope and scale, it deserves a huge amount of praise. There is adventure, drama, tension, fantasy, and heroism. Factual elements are mixed in with the fiction, creating a vivid narrative.
On the other hand, as a product of its age (it is approximately 2,800 years old!), the poem is riddled with chronic sexism and hyper-masculinity. Worst of all is the unironic presentation of a “hero” character in Odysseus, who is constantly touted as “godlike” and “noble,” yet he is dishonest, prideful, arrogant, unfaithful, and I would argue selfish. Nonetheless, the poem justifies Odysseus’s ruthless and barbaric acts in the final scenes by framing these as justice.
I want to pause here and let my boiled blood simmer, as I recognize that the context I live in is entirely different from that of Homer’s hero almost three millennia ago. I live in a democratic society, where the people have appointed a leader who is held accountable by said people, and whose government enforces the law. In this ancient Ithacan context, the king holds the power and authority, and it is up to him to determine justice for crimes. And there is no doubt that crimes have been committed: the suitors have imposed themselves on Odysseus’s household in his absence, consuming his food and drink, abusing his staff, slaughtering his livestock, harassing his wife Penelope, and attempting to kill his son Telemachus. They pray for Odysseus to not return and want to make sure he has nothing to return to if he does. When they fail to recognize Odysseus, they hurl verbal and physical abuse upon him, seeing only a decrepit old beggar. No doubt, justice is warranted. Nonetheless, Odysseus’s bloodthirsty desire for vengeance is severely at odds with my own ideology of love, peace, forgiveness, and mercy. There is certainly a need for justice to be meted out, but as the wronged, Odysseus is not in a position to be an impartial judge and is unable to apportion appropriate punishment.
Having said all this, I want to set the jarring contextual differences aside and recognize this work for what it is: a complex, beautiful tale, with countless characters including gods, people, gods-who-pretend-to-be-people, mythical creatures, and animals. The tale is ingeniously spun, taking us to both real and fictional locations. The fact that the entire work is in fact poetry was frequently lost on me, as I read the English translation by Rieu. Rendered as prose, it is highly readable and accessible, and from what I understand, accurate to the story, but entirely lacking in most of the poetic content of the original. To have told such a lengthy and complex tale in beautiful, flowing poetic language, Homer—and indeed, The Odyssey—is worthy of all the accolades bestowed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Slavery, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Cannibalism, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Incest
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Sexual violence, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cannibalism
Minor: Incest
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read a different version of Homer's work but I was intrigued by this one and I have to say that I do love Wilson's translation of this epic poem.
Her use of modern language and choice of iambic pentameter for her translation felt new and contemporary and it was easier to read and visualize for me. This alone was a challenge as she managed to keep the same number of verses from the original Greek!
I never saw the big hero that others did in Odysseus, yes he had adventures and some were heroic indeed, but the man himself ...no I never truly saw it and in Wilson's translation I get some vindication as here we see a complicated man, an unreliable narrator to his own quests, a mischief maker, a doubter of his wife who he left alone for 20+ years while he himself is a huge flirt.
Wilson's translation is quite honestly a great read and a challenging one that makes you wonder about previous translations but even the violence is felt to be more violent and brutal and I can't tell if that's the modernized wording or if it was always there just worded differently so that it didn't come across as such.
All in all, I'm tempted to read Wilson's take on the Illiad.
Her use of modern language and choice of iambic pentameter for her translation felt new and contemporary and it was easier to read and visualize for me. This alone was a challenge as she managed to keep the same number of verses from the original Greek!
I never saw the big hero that others did in Odysseus, yes he had adventures and some were heroic indeed, but the man himself ...no I never truly saw it and in Wilson's translation I get some vindication as here we see a complicated man, an unreliable narrator to his own quests, a mischief maker, a doubter of his wife who he left alone for 20+ years while he himself is a huge flirt.
Wilson's translation is quite honestly a great read and a challenging one that makes you wonder about previous translations but even the violence is felt to be more violent and brutal and I can't tell if that's the modernized wording or if it was always there just worded differently so that it didn't come across as such.
All in all, I'm tempted to read Wilson's take on the Illiad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Abandonment, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
All I'll say right now is that Odysseus is a silly man who loves to lie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Murder, War
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a functional member of society with half a modicum of sense: Timeless and endlessly important book, that truly makes you realise the enormity of the inheritance of Ancient Greek in many works that came after. The fascination with Greek myth is forever something we can relate to, and I am glad that we have access still to these texts, so ancient that they were - perhaps a god interceded in their preservation.
As a reader who is a huge hater: Odysseus is a cunt, this has way too much sexism for me to interact with it confortably, seems rushed at times, Odysseus is an asshat, Chapter 24 is one of the most dissapointing endings ever, Telemachus is also a cunt, Penelope should have been given a gun AND JUSTICE FOR HELEN SHE DID NOTHING WRONG. ALSO ODYSSEUS IS A FUCKING WET TWAT.
As a reader who is a huge hater: Odysseus is a cunt, this has way too much sexism for me to interact with it confortably, seems rushed at times, Odysseus is an asshat, Chapter 24 is one of the most dissapointing endings ever, Telemachus is also a cunt, Penelope should have been given a gun AND JUSTICE FOR HELEN SHE DID NOTHING WRONG. ALSO ODYSSEUS IS A FUCKING WET TWAT.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism
Moderate: Animal death
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
At over 500 pages, Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s Odyssey is a hefty read. It is also immensely engaging and readable, with straightforward prose that definitely captures the sense of a world very different from our own. The only reason this wasn’t a five-star rating is because I’ve heard from people with more familiarity with Ancient Greek that it isn’t the most literal translation, which poses a few issues, but as an act of interpretative literary translation I think it’s incredible. Wilson makes some excellent translational choices that are well outlined in the Introduction and Translator’s Note, which I believe nobody should skip. Honestly fabulous, a much enjoyed reread.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, War
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, War