Vamp_Roland Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I was just wondering if anyone had read the odyssey. I haven't read it but i know most of the story and i just purchased Chapman's Homer The Iliad and The Odyssey. I just wanted to know how many of you have read it and what you thought of it and you can tell me about the Iliad too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malchik Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I had to read it at school. I know most of the story which is an early fantasy story IMO. Not sure how I'd rate it though. Never read the Iliad, again I know the story from other sources. (Well, it answered some of your question) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superunknown Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I've just read the Odyssey for school, and I thought it was ok. I was kind of suprised after having read lower level versions of the story how little of the book was spent on Odysseus' actual journey. For this reason I thought a couple parts of the book seemed pretty slow, but overal I thought it was pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baphomet Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I've read the Odessey roughly 12 times (using four or five different translations) in the course of my life, and I've read the Iliad about a half dozen times or so. I could quote you fairly long passages from the first, but only the occasional "good line" from the latter. Your translation (Chapman) is a fairly good one, but had you asked me, I would have steered you towards either the Robert Fagels translation (my second favorite) or the Fitzgerald (older, but far more prosaic). I fear you may find Chapman's translation a little on the "dry" side, but that's just me. Head over to Borders or some other mega-bookstore sometime if you have one in your area, and see if you can do a side-by-side comparison between two or three translations. The differences will be obvious. In my opinion, the O. has just about everything you could want in a story... Love, revenge, adventure, political intrigue; it's got it all. If this is your first reading, of Homer, allow me to suggest that you also get a copy of (don't laugh!) the Cliff's Notes for the Odyssey. Not as a substitute for reading the novel itself, but the 'Notes contain a lot of backround information (cultural, etc.) that will greatly expand your understanding of the novel. The times were different back then and a short but sweet understanding of some of the very significant differences will shed light on the story as a whole. Hope you enjoy the Odessey and or the Iliad. I know they're both books I can re-read any time I find myself "between books". If you want to read them in proper sequence, you should of course read the Iliad THEN the Odyssey, as the former deals with the events of the Trojan War, and the latter with events following. Not required that they be read in that order, just thought I'd point out their chronological sequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vamp_Roland Posted December 18, 2003 Author Share Posted December 18, 2003 Thank you. I think i will read the Iliad first since you suggested it. Also i'll go to borders and check out the other translations. Im reading the Iliad and the Odyessey as an inbetween book because i am curently waiting for the next book in the DarkTower series to come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkayan Posted December 19, 2003 Share Posted December 19, 2003 I havent read it yet. No doubt i will have to for seniour english soon enough and i will get back to you when i have. (See my Sig Quote) :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayabusa Posted January 1, 2004 Share Posted January 1, 2004 Yes, I`ve read it and it was great. But I got quite amazed when I`ve met a girl who reads it. In Original. Managed to do it wth Eneida, but it`s not the same and I didn`t read it in 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Almelexia Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 Odyssey is a great book and yes i have read it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nailo Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 I also had to read the Odyssey three times for school and I believe I enjoyed it more each time I read it. It has a great story and awesome characters. Unfortune for me I have not read The Illiad but for the most part I know how the story goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muennin Posted February 10, 2004 Share Posted February 10, 2004 Having read the Odyssey (doesn't that look odd in type) and the Iliad nearly as often as Tolkien's and F. Scott Fitzgerald's works, it seems to merit a timeless sort of attention. Please delve in, if you haven't already. (Aside) While Beowulf is interesting in terms of historical preservation, this one never grabbed my imagination. Evolutionary progress? (No religious disrespect intended). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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