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adventurous
dark
informative
sad
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
An excellent and very readable translation. Odysseus was a massive penis.
Emily Wilson’s translation really is as good as everyone says - it reads so quickly, and both her introduction and notes at the end provoke a lot of deep thinking on the text
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:
Complicated
I can appreciate that this is a classic, but it’s just not for me.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Highly adventurous book with positive lessons and characters who are easy to root for. The book is very cavalier about killing, so it is very violent, but that comes with the time.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is the only translation of the Odyssey I’ve read so I can’t compare to others. Though the translation is by a woman and widely thought of as one of the most accurate and least biased translations of the text, it is not, as some have called it, a feminist version of the Odyssey. Ultimately the original text is of its time and written by a man/men so comes with the perspective of that.
Plot-wise, I grew quite tired of ‘skilful liar Odysseus’ bullshit, frankly. Continually being an aggressor when not needed, ‘testing’ his family and slaves loyalty after 20 years presumed dead, killing the slave women for their fault in being raped by the suitors etc etc. he sounds like a real prick who only survived because Athena took an interest, and Gods knows why.
Plot-wise, I grew quite tired of ‘skilful liar Odysseus’ bullshit, frankly. Continually being an aggressor when not needed, ‘testing’ his family and slaves loyalty after 20 years presumed dead, killing the slave women for their fault in being raped by the suitors etc etc. he sounds like a real prick who only survived because Athena took an interest, and Gods knows why.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Rape, Abandonment
Minor: War
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:
No
I mean it’s the Odyssey. Wilson’s translation is solid; the iambic pentameter usually flows pretty well (although there is occasional clunky lines which disrupt the rhythm), and I think the form is a useful reminder of the oral history of the epic.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
i like it more for what it has inspired than for what it is