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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Themes or characters that resonated with me: Like The Iliad, it is hard to relate to these sorts of Greek hero stories. I guess the main themes to apply to real life are faithfulness, loyalty, respect and honor. Those that remain loyal to Odysseus are rewarded in the end. Agamemnon's wife is killed because she was unfaithful to her husband. Penelope is faithful and is reunited with her husband. I did have to wonder, since Odysseus seems to lie a lot, whether the story of his journey that he told to the Phaecians was all a fabrication.
Emotions, thoughts, or memories it brought up in me: I thought the differences in the way the gods interact in this book compared to The Iliad was interesting. It makes it seem as though the two books were definitely part of an oral tradition that could not all have been the work of one person... clearly. The gods in this book (Athena) interact much more directly with the mortal world. The theme of repeating lines over and over makes it very poetic.
Opinion about the author or writing style: The foreshadowing or prophesying makes it feel a little slow, like you already know what's going to happen and you're just waiting for it. I enjoy the Fagles translation, though admittedly I have nothing to compare it to. There were clearly some double standards and misogyny, which I chalked up to a product of the time.
Favorite Passage: "Here I am at your mercy, princess--- are you a goddess or a mortal? If one of the gods who rule the skies up there, you're Artemis to the life, the daughter of mighty Zeus---I see her now---just look at your build, your bearing, your lithe flowing grace... But if you're one of the mortals living here on earth, three times blest are your father, your queenly mother, three times over your brothers too. How often their hearts must warm with joy to see you striding into the dances--- such a bloom of beauty. True, but he is the one more blest than all other men alive, that man who sways you with gifts and leads you home, his bride! I have never laid eyes on anyone like you, neither man nor woman... I look at you and a sense of wonder takes me."
My ratings-
Writing Style: 85
Relatability: 75
Originality: 95
Personal impact: 70
Plot: 85
Emotions, thoughts, or memories it brought up in me: I thought the differences in the way the gods interact in this book compared to The Iliad was interesting. It makes it seem as though the two books were definitely part of an oral tradition that could not all have been the work of one person... clearly. The gods in this book (Athena) interact much more directly with the mortal world. The theme of repeating lines over and over makes it very poetic.
Opinion about the author or writing style: The foreshadowing or prophesying makes it feel a little slow, like you already know what's going to happen and you're just waiting for it. I enjoy the Fagles translation, though admittedly I have nothing to compare it to. There were clearly some double standards and misogyny, which I chalked up to a product of the time.
Favorite Passage: "Here I am at your mercy, princess--- are you a goddess or a mortal? If one of the gods who rule the skies up there, you're Artemis to the life, the daughter of mighty Zeus---I see her now---just look at your build, your bearing, your lithe flowing grace... But if you're one of the mortals living here on earth, three times blest are your father, your queenly mother, three times over your brothers too. How often their hearts must warm with joy to see you striding into the dances--- such a bloom of beauty. True, but he is the one more blest than all other men alive, that man who sways you with gifts and leads you home, his bride! I have never laid eyes on anyone like you, neither man nor woman... I look at you and a sense of wonder takes me."
My ratings-
Writing Style: 85
Relatability: 75
Originality: 95
Personal impact: 70
Plot: 85
adventurous
mysterious
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
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Re-read.
Still as good as the first time I read this in high school, lol, but I understand more nuances now than I did then.
Still as good as the first time I read this in high school, lol, but I understand more nuances now than I did then.
adventurous
inspiring
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
I had almost no knowledge or connection to the original "Odyssey" before reading this, except for what I knew from popular culture, and from my son's obsession with the musical "Epic." There's not much I can say about the story itself that hasn't already been said for three thousand years (give or take).
So I'll talk about the translation, instead. I found Emily Wilson's translation to be extremely approachable and understandable. She makes this epic poem, which seemed somewhat intimidating, come to life in all its gory, frustrating, snarky, swashbuckling glory. This is more like reading prose than epic poetry: it moves quickly and is very straightforward.
I also loved her introduction and translator's notes at the start. They helped set the scene and context for the story to come.
Before starting each chapter, I flipped to the back and read the chapter summary and notes. I found these, along with the glossary, extremely useful while trying to keep track of all the ancient Greek names and places.
I'm very glad I finally picked this up, and picked up Wilson's translation specifically. Highly enjoyable read.
So I'll talk about the translation, instead. I found Emily Wilson's translation to be extremely approachable and understandable. She makes this epic poem, which seemed somewhat intimidating, come to life in all its gory, frustrating, snarky, swashbuckling glory. This is more like reading prose than epic poetry: it moves quickly and is very straightforward.
I also loved her introduction and translator's notes at the start. They helped set the scene and context for the story to come.
Before starting each chapter, I flipped to the back and read the chapter summary and notes. I found these, along with the glossary, extremely useful while trying to keep track of all the ancient Greek names and places.
I'm very glad I finally picked this up, and picked up Wilson's translation specifically. Highly enjoyable read.