Six Mondays: July 10, 17, 24, 31, and August 7, 14, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET Online SOLD OUT
Lecture and Discussion. This live class will be recorded and available for later viewing.
Emily Wilson’s recent translation of Homer’s Odyssey is the perfect vehicle for coming at this epic with fresh eyes. The aural pleasure of the translation’s pentameters makes it worth reading aloud and let us rethink what we believe about the heroic and about notions of struggle and triumph. The Odyssey is famous not just for the tale it tells of Odysseus’ voyage home and final victory within his own palace. It is a poem that explores the power of women and goddesses, and not just in the ways they help or hinder Odysseus, and insists that we see disadvantaged figures in their lives and struggles. Whether or not this ancient epic interrogates as we might the social structures that put the hero at the center is an open question. But the Odyssey is an epic that takes delight in how it tells tales; it is in love with its own cleverness and deviousness at the level of narrative, showcases the cunning of its two main figures—Odysseus and Penelope—and thus invites us to be equally bold in the questions we ask of it.
This course will offer you a chance to explore the Odyssey at a leisurely pace: over six weeks, we read four books per class, about 60-75 pages total each week. Of course, Wilson’s introductory material will entice you to read much more, and I may also offer readings to enhance your understanding.
Reading Schedule:
Note: assigned readings from Wilson’s introduction are recommendations.
July 10: read Books 1-4 of the Odyssey as well as the introduction pp 1-13, 16-23.
July 17: read Books 5-8 as well as the introduction pp 23-37.
July 24: read Books 9-12 as well as the introduction pp 37-57.
July 31: read Books 13-16 as well as the introduction pp 58-71.
August 7: read Books 17-20.
August 14: read Books 21-24
Six Mondays: July 10, 17, 24, 31, and August 7, 14, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET Online SOLD OUT
Required Book:
The Odyssey by Homer translated by Emily Wilson, Paperback 2018 (9780393356250)
Victoria Pedrick, associate professor emerita of Classics at Georgetown University, has published essays on Homer, Greek Tragedy, and Latin Lyric as well as two volumes on tragedy, one a collection of essays and the other a study of Euripides and Freud. She taught courses in Greek language and literature, with a particular interest in Archaic and Classical Greek literature and culture and for many years taught Introduction to Classical Myth. In all her courses, she always encouraged students to focus on the audience and cultural contexts for ancient texts, including when appropriate modern engagement.
REFUND POLICY: Please note that we can issue class refunds up until seven (7) days before the first class session.
