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nomadjg 's review for:

The Iliad by Homer
5.0

It seems ridiculous to even rate this book. Whether I "enjoyed" it or not isn't as relevant as the fact that it is a basis for so much of Western Literature. I mean I don't like reading about war, but it doesn't go away just because we don't look at it and this shows the grit, the hate, the honor, the fear, giving yourself up to fate, raging against the gods for their arbitrariness, forgiving, loving, and treating women like objects - so many themes in there. I am not sure about the Fagles translation. It is very active and the language seems quite modern, even informal at times.

I am angry with those gods. I read over the blood and gore bits quite quickly. In a nod to the orality of the story, I listened to Derek Jacobi reading it, but this version only covered about 60% of it, so I read the rest of it to myself. I think listening and reading together helped me like it more.

This is what I really loved:
1) It doesn't tell the whole story of the war - not the point
2) The description of the shield Hephaestus made for Achilles which is like its own world is so beautiful and I wonder if Keats was aware of it or if Fagles was thinking about Keats when he wrote it the way he did.
3) In WWI, many thought that God would decide who won even though religious people prayed to the same God and it's a tragically wrong idea. Both the Achaeans and the Trojans believed in the same gods and the gods took sides. It is just an incredibly sad connection to make, but something to think about.
4) The Gods are right out there saying every thought - they are characters - not so with the God of Abraham - read Auerbach's Mimesis on this - a really fascinating take on the traditions of Western Literature
5) They follow rules in their war partly based on hospitality
6) Finally, the best scene in the book is in book 24 - lines 559-646 - it might be the most poignant moment that I have read in literature.

I would highly recommend listening to it, but it is better if you can read along.