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calarco 's review for:
The Odyssey
by Homer
If you are looking to read a Western epic, you would be hard-pressed to find one more influential than Homer’s The Odyssey. I can remember this tale of journey, trials, and homecoming as far back as early childhood when the PBS series Wishbone took a stab at retelling the tale (it was one of my favorite things as a kid).
That said, this was my first full read through as an adult and I was really impressed with the prose and world-building. Whether it was the encounter with the Cyclops or the fallout of mad beef with Poseidon, the tension between man and mythical elements is ever present. Given the time and place from which this story was birthed, people with relatively short lifespans were constantly subject to seemingly cruel twists of fate.
“Then must he suffer what the Fates ordain;
For Fate has wove the thread of life with pain?
And twins, e'en from the birth, are Misery and Man!”
Despite all of these great elements, I was left annoyed with a couple of narrative choices. First and foremost is the fact that while Ulysses is certainly tested throughout the tale, he never truly reckons with his hubris. He brings most of his strife on himself, and while he suffers, his continued poor choices would indicate that he does not truly reflect or take personal responsibility. On this front, I would argue that Beowful is a superior epic poem (fighting words, I know).
My second issue is with the double standard placed on female characters who have to be perfectly virtuous to be considered the equals of their flawed male counterparts. As Homer lays out, “Too dear I prized a fair enchanting face: beauty unchaste is beauty disgraced”. While an obvious observation would be the very different expectations of fidelity placed on Penelope and Ulysses, more-so I am most annoyed with how this inconsistency ferments at the root of my first grievance. Ulysses ultimately does not need to self-reflect when he has Athena (and other women) constantly bailing him out and doing that work for him, but I digress…
All that said, I still enjoyed The Odyssey and would definitely recommend it. It is highly entertaining, even without a PBS Jack Russell Terrier acting in his prime.
Rating: 3.5 stars
That said, this was my first full read through as an adult and I was really impressed with the prose and world-building. Whether it was the encounter with the Cyclops or the fallout of mad beef with Poseidon, the tension between man and mythical elements is ever present. Given the time and place from which this story was birthed, people with relatively short lifespans were constantly subject to seemingly cruel twists of fate.
“Then must he suffer what the Fates ordain;
For Fate has wove the thread of life with pain?
And twins, e'en from the birth, are Misery and Man!”
Despite all of these great elements, I was left annoyed with a couple of narrative choices. First and foremost is the fact that while Ulysses is certainly tested throughout the tale, he never truly reckons with his hubris. He brings most of his strife on himself, and while he suffers, his continued poor choices would indicate that he does not truly reflect or take personal responsibility. On this front, I would argue that Beowful is a superior epic poem (fighting words, I know).
My second issue is with the double standard placed on female characters who have to be perfectly virtuous to be considered the equals of their flawed male counterparts. As Homer lays out, “Too dear I prized a fair enchanting face: beauty unchaste is beauty disgraced”. While an obvious observation would be the very different expectations of fidelity placed on Penelope and Ulysses, more-so I am most annoyed with how this inconsistency ferments at the root of my first grievance. Ulysses ultimately does not need to self-reflect when he has Athena (and other women) constantly bailing him out and doing that work for him, but I digress…
All that said, I still enjoyed The Odyssey and would definitely recommend it. It is highly entertaining, even without a PBS Jack Russell Terrier acting in his prime.
Rating: 3.5 stars