Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Odyssey

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.

Content Warnings

pythonesque's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Almost all of the characters in this book are extremely hard to love, but I read it because of Emily Wilson's wonderful translation.

Content Warnings

preciousmist's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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.

Content Warnings

zbrebis's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

My notes for Homer is; Maybe workshop this? Odysseus is an unlikable character who failed at every turn, loss 600 men and came back home as a hero after slauthering his wife's orbiters and his "unfaithful" slaves. Athena, find yourself a better hero girl.
Its worth reading if you're into classical studies and ancient Greece, but if someone told you that "every man NEEDS to read Odysseus" I'd just say, skip it?

Content Warnings

athenian_frog's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

iladevlin28's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

strabbyfieldz's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

still thinking about odysseus' 'heh nothing personnel kid moment' where he dodges that cow hoof and gives a sardonic little grin. dude really thinks he's an anime protag.

Content Warnings

meganpbennett's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Many years ago, I helped clean out Dr. Mandelbaum's office when he retired, taking box after box of books to the library to see what could be and what should be added to the various library collections,. Manuscripts, books he'd written, translations. I knew he was a Dante scholar, but I didn't realize that he'd also translated Homer and Virgil (Virgil makes a lot of sense, given the role Virgil plays in The Divine Comedy).

Like many people, I'd never read The Odyssey. I knew a bit of the story, but had never read the original text. I knew a little bit about the various translators, and was thrilled with Dr Wilson released her translation, but never read it. I've read enough Greek plays and Roman histories to know that I wasn't really a fan of the literature of that time period.

I finally read it when the library where I work used it as part of our "Read the book, see the movie" series. It's very interesting, but it's also very long. Like a lot of classical literature from the Greek and Roman era, it's a lot of words to describe things that could have been said in one or two. It's hard to get into, since it's in verse, not prose, but once you get into it, it's fun to read.

Content Warnings

More...