The epic that inspired the road trip genre, the Odyssey is often remembered as the story of a man who took ten years to return home to his wife, fighting off sirens, nymphs, and his and his companions’ bad decisions along the way. But beneath the vice and folly lies an exploration of the nature of storytelling, the limits of perseverance, the contours of faith, the inscrutability of death, and a quest to define and safeguard home.
Winter/Spring 2022: Odyssey (Professor Eirene Allen)
For students in 9th-12th grade (14-18 years old). Free. Max 10 students.
When: Tuesdays January 25 to May 3 (no class March 22) , 6:30-7:30p.m ET.
Forum: Live classes on Zoom. Discussion on Discord.
Syllabus: see below.
Required texts: Homer’s Odyssey, translated by Anthony Verity.
Course requirements: attend all live sessions, participate in Discord discussion, and 1 paper (5-7 pages) due Dec. 17.
Students will receive a grade and certificate upon completion of requirements.
Course Description
Spring 2021: Odyssey Seminar
The epic that inspired the road trip genre, the Odyssey is often remembered as the story of a man who took ten years to return home to his wife, fighting off sirens, nymphs, and his and his companions’ bad decisions along the way. But beneath the vice and folly lies an exploration of the nature of storytelling, the limits of perseverance, the contours of faith, the inscrutability of death, and a quest to define and safeguard home.
Like the Iliad, the Odyssey is a paradox: a text of a poem composed orally in performance, an end product of a centuries-old tradition and the beginning of a new kind of storytelling. Reading two books per week in Anthony Verity’s translation, we will explore the poem’s meanings and messages within a Homeric context and their appeal across time.
Week 1: Introducing the Odyssey
Read: William Allan’s introduction to Verity’s Odyssey
Week 2: Trouble at Ithaca
Read: Books 1 & 2
Week 3: Nostoi/Returnings
Read: Books 3 & 4
Week 4: Calypso’s promise
Read: Books 5 & 6
Week 5: The Blind Bard
Read: Books 7 & 8
Week 6: The Wanderings of Odysseus
Read: Books 9 & 10
Week 7: Liminal spaces
Read: Books 11 & 12
Week 8: Reciprocity among gods and men
Read: Books 13 & 14
Week 9: Return and recognition
Read: Books 15 & 16
Week 10: Discernment and disguise
Read: Books 17 & 18
Week 11: Penelope’s web
Read: Books 19 & 20
Week 12: Retribution and reciprocity
Read: Books 21 & 22
Week 13: Minds in harmony
Read: Books 23 & 24
Week 14: The world of the Odyssey