The Odyssey and the Modern Reader

Homer’s Odyssey, along with the Iliad, is widely considered one of the ultimate epics in literature. In fact, the Odyssey sets the standard for the epic as it is defined: it is a lengthy poem of enormous scope describing the wondrous adventures of its hero (Odysseus) and composed in an elevated style of language (think of the term “Homeric simile”). That these adventures were meant to arouse a sense of amazement is difficult for the modern reader to comprehend, especially in a time when such words as “adventure” have lost much of their evocative power. Nor is it any easier to grasp the ancient Greek concept of “hero” in today’s disposable, convenience-oriented world.

The Odyssey can be read with a view toward many themes—journey, compassion, family, and so forth—but it works best when approached as an extended narrative on the themes of nostos (homecoming or return), xenia (guest-host relationship), and immortality. The Odyssey is the legend of Odysseus’s nostos (homecoming) from Troy to his derelict home on Ithaca. In the opening line of the story, Odysseus is described as “polutropos,” which means “wandering” and “crafty.” Several lines later the “wandering” is explained not as a meaningless drifting, but a directed attempt, clearly showing Odysseus’s desire for reunion with his wife and hometown. Another important theme in the Odyssey is xenia, a Greek notion encompassing the munificence and civility shown to those who are away from home. Through his journey, Odysseus learns that life after death is an empty existence lacking any satisfaction or fulfillment. Because he realizes that immortality brings no more than what he had seen in Hades, he is not lured by Calypso’s offer of eternal life later in book 5. Paralleling the themes that center on Odysseus is the theme of adulthood, as Telemachus comes out from his father’s shadow on his own course to manhood to establish his place in his family and in the kingdom of Ithaca.

Drawbacks of the narrative structure

One problem with using the Odyssey in today’s classroom is that students are often only familiar with the most popular sections of the epic, or those most palatable and comprehensible to students. Most people have heard of the adventures told in flashback in books 9 through 12: Odysseus’s encounter with the Cyclops, his experience with the goddess Circe, his time in Hades, the killing of Helios’s cattle by his crew, and the death of all of his remaining companions. It is these episodes that we have seen as children in one form or another, perhaps in animated films or as a “Movie of the Week” on TV. However, in formal and informal surveys of students, the Odyssey is repeatedly named one of the least-read books on the high school syllabus—a position likely attained due to, among other things, its complicated narrative structure (for example, its hero, Odysseus, does not even appear in the poem until book 5).

To say that the narrative structure of the Odyssey is not quite linear is an understatement. The first four books deal primarily with Telemachus, the son of Odysseus. Books 5 through 8, the action of which takes place at the same time as that of books 1 through 4, deal with Odysseus as he leaves Calypso’s island and journeys to Scheria, land of the Phaiakians. Books 9 through 12 are narrated in the first person by Odysseus as a flashback before the events of book 5. Odysseus’s arrival on Ithaca in book 13 returns the narrative to a straightforward chronology. A chronological arrangement of the Odyssey would put books 9 through 12 first, followed simultaneously by books 5 through 8 and books 1 through 4, followed by books 13 through 24. I’ve found that students are often put off by the plotting of the Odyssey and then miss out on aspects of the epic that they might appreciate.

- Eric J. Pollock, CheongShim International Academy, Gapyeong-gun

from http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/190585.html

Narrative Structure of The Odyssey
Books 9-12 Odysseus’s adventures from Trojan war to Kalypso’s Island / Books 1-4 Telemakhos / Books 13-24
Odysseus returns
Books 5-8 Odysseus
Beginning Middle End