The Odyssey (Penguin Classics)

Homer

If you consider the Odyssey as the end of a series of tales that begins with the Iliad, then the...more

If you consider the Odyssey as the end of a series of tales that begins with the Iliad, then the series begins and ends with rage. The disasterous rage of Achilles that starts the Iliad, and the murderous rage of Odysseus at the end of the Odyssey. The hot bloodedness of the characters should make them hard to sympathise with, but Homer (He? She? Them?) pulls it off. The actual 'Odyessy' or voyage, with the Cyclops, Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis etc, is only a small part of this book. Much more attention is paid to Odysseus squaring off with the unwelcome suitors of his wife Penelope in Ithaca. Homer obviously felt the audience for this tale would be more concerned about how that conflict was resolved.   hide

Yeah, I agree with the only reading it for school. This book is heavy poetic... and somewhere in...more

Yeah, I agree with the only reading it for school. This book is heavy poetic... and somewhere in one of my closets... Written like all mythological stories of the ancient greeks, it's in a poetry/play type format. Not my favorite greek story, but I love their creativity in their gods, nonetheless.   hide

The seminal bomb awesomeness of this incredible work can hardly be overstated. Te only thing that...more

The seminal bomb awesomeness of this incredible work can hardly be overstated. Te only thing that can be said about this epic work that is in any way a little negative is that it is not as cohesive as it could be. But even then, due to its complex structure, that is as much, if not more of a benefit to the work as it is a negative. Overall this is a must read for anyone who wishes to be at all academically or culturally literate. And its just a dang good story.   hide

Es un clásico que no se puede dejar a un lado, para alguien que disfruta de la literatura o ya...more

Es un clásico que no se puede dejar a un lado, para alguien que disfruta de la literatura o ya sea por mera obligación es un libro que demuestra el intelecto e ingenio humanos y sobre todo la manera de pensar y vivir de tiempos tan lejanos que de cierta manera ya son ajenos a nosotros. Leyendo libros como éste podemos intentar comprenderlos o revivirlos dependiendo de cuánta imaginación y disposición tenga el lector.    hide

An unfathomably repetetive book, both in story and the fact that Homer can't seem to think of more...more

An unfathomably repetetive book, both in story and the fact that Homer can't seem to think of more than one adjective or phrase to describe a character, meaning we hear it over and over each time the character appears. Odysseus is set up as the smartest and bravest person in the world, but comes off as a selfish moron in charge of an army, constantly making stupid decisions and getting everyone but himself killed. It also contains the most pathetic anti-climax I've ever read.   hide