Books in Progress

Perhaps the first fifth or more of The Odyssey deals with Odysseus' son and the problems he is having with his mother's (Penelope's) "suitors," read: bums and ne'er-do-wells. Eventually Athene (this spelling has me constantly mispronouncing it in my head) prompts Telemachus (doesn't that name have a Norwegian feel to it?) to equip a boat and sail away to see if he can find information about his father, dead or alive.

Meanwhile, the "suitors" plan to ambush and murder Telemachus when he returns. But in the meantime, Telemachus visits Pylos and Sparta. In Sparta he is treated quite hospitably (a very honored guest) by Menelaus and his wife, Helen. He learns about the exploits of his father in the Trojan campaign, filtered somewhat by Helen.

Meanwhile Odysseus (who somehow really pissed off Poseidon) is far from home, shipwrecked on an island (Ogygia, probably Gozo in the Maltese archipelago), the only survivor of his fleet of ships (the other half which took a different course apparently got away). He is pretty much adopted by the goddess, Calypso, as his pet. After seven years, Athene (no longer pissed at Odysseus...I think she was at one point) pleads with Zeus to set him free.

Zeus sends Mercury to tell Calypso she has to let him go. Calypso does so. Poseidon is not having any of it and causes Odysseus' raft to sink. A sea goddess helps him swim to an island (Drépané) which turns out to be modern Corfu where he basically goes from rags to riches. King Alcinous and Queen Arete hear his story and are quite taken with him. The King even asks him to say and marry his daughter. (I would have stayed.) It didn't hurt that Athene had cleaned him up, grew his hair out into curly locks, and overall just beautified his countenance.

They give him gifts and promise a fully-crewed boat to take him wherever he wants. And that's pretty much where I've left it.

Probably the star of the story so far is the Greek virtue of hospitality to a stranger. The story spends a lot of time describing this, with both Telemachus and Odysseus being the beneficiaries. Along the way we wonder Why did the Greeks Dilute Their Wine? They talk about this often. But apparently it wasn't about being thrifty.

That makes a lot of sense. I had just wondered if, in conjunction with this, the wine they made was more condensed or distilled. Were they making a sort of wine syrup, for example? It doesn't seem so from what I've been able to find. Here's a bit from Wiki:



That's very interesting, if true. That would mark them as a sort of sobriety culture to some extent. Certainly from the book I get no sense that diluting the wine had anything to do with thrift. It does seem to have a ceremonial aspect.

So what I'm saying is that the watered-down beers, Miller Lite and Bud Light, are holy brews.

We've gone past the Cyclops in the story. Past another couple of episodes of getting tossed at sea, barely reaching shore, getting some help, and then being sent on one's way again.

Honestly, it would be thought of badly in most quarters to criticize a classic work such as this. I've often been told something like, "Brad, you're just trying to elevate yourself over the work." (Told this by people who, in all likelihood, are trying to elevate themselves by associating themselves with a classic...perhaps one they have never read.)

But, really, I don't think that's it at all. It would be better to say that I am picky or not so easily amused. And about 40% into The Odyssey, the story has gone dull. It's repetitive. However, there was one twist that I liked very much.

It was some time after landing on the island ruled by King Alcinous and Queen Arete. Odysseus and his men had moved on from there (perhaps with a Cyclops or two in between) and found themselves wrecked on another island. The invariably Good and Charitable Leader (especially after Odysseus invokes Zeus as the protector of travelers in need) will help Odysseus and his band. He will clean them up, feed them, give them some gifts and supplies, and send them on their way, perhaps in a new boat.

Well, this happens (yet again). And, yet again, Poseidon causes Odysseus and his men to lose their boat or wash ashore, being blown away from their intended destination. And so this happens, and Odysseus (a few days, weeks, or months later, I'm not sure) washes up on the very same shore he just departed from, and tells his sob story yet again. The leader basically says, "Go away. You are cursed by the Gods."

I mean, in all fairness, Odysseus and his men do seem to be somewhat of a plague wandering about. And, from my point of view, other than his physical prowess, Bill Clinton might have higher moral standards. But back then, as now, I'm not sure that personal moral standards mattered all the much in Great Leaders. They just had to forward the causes of the crowd or otherwise market themselves a saviors of a sort. Or have some kind of charisma that wallpapered over the defects.

At this point (and after reading Stephen Fry's Troy), I'm not viewing Odysseus as the same worthy character played by Kirk Douglas in the movie. I think it likely that Poseidon has fair reason to be pissed off at him. And even the gods (especially Zeus) were never pleased with the wanton destruction that Odysseus and others wrought in Troy (and about everywhere else they go).

It's a little disappointing, too, that there are no side-characters in this to add interest. A little variety. The people he meets all seem to talk the same. Everyone is extremely formal and treats Odysseus (who does seem to have some inherent charisma) as an honored guest wherever he goes (except for the Cyclops and some others). That is, the story is not particularly layered and rich.

But there's much more to come and we'll see how that goes.

Quite possibly. As you know, I'm narrative-oriented, and character-oriented. If poetry is someone's thing (it's never been mine….tends to bore me...I usually find it pretentious in the extreme), then that could convey a beauty and grandeur over and above the actual elements of the story. Fair enough. Same with today's way over-done special effects in movies. It's the story and characters that count. But for many people, it's the style that counts, not the content.

I've still got a ways to go, of course, But I could see how it's certainly possible that there ain't all that much story there when you separate if from the dactylic hexameter (or often translated into iambic pentameter). I confess that such things are above me and beyond my interest.

Yes, I think that's a good way to look at it.



The Odyssey is a campfire story raised to the level of great literature. I think, much like Shakespeare's work, it may have (in the oral retelling, perhaps around a blazing heart) appealed to the common man and was quite entertaining.

It contains helpful gods. Heroes. Villains. The rich. Some more rich (not too many poor depicted so far). Exotic voyages and places. Monsters. Angry gods. Men who live like gods and some gods (Athene, in this case) who seem to want to live like humans (for a time). And there are some characters in here who blur the line between man and god. (No, they are not Libertarians, as far as I know.)

Certainly many of the principals in this story have gods in their family tree. But the reader is never quite sure if some king or queen is immortal. Some are. They come outright and tell us. Before then, we wonder because of their riches and grandeur. And perhaps the reader is never quite sure if claims of being a god should be (or are meant to be) taken at face value, although that's a subtle point.

It must have been fascinating at the time to mix the divine and the mortal. I mean, what's one of the biggest businesses in film making today? It's the "Marvel Comic Universe." Obviously DC has its share of movies too. But guys, in particular (supposed adults) are really into this stuff.

That's not to say that The Odyssey is a comic book. The presentation is too formal for that. And yet the similarities seem obvious. And I do love a good adventure story, whether it's the old (certainly not the new) Star Wars or Kirk Douglas in Ulysses.

So, we'll keep plugging along and see what turns up. I haven't really been surprised by anything thus far like I was reading Troy. There was lots of stuff in the Troy legend that I'd never seen recounted in any movie. But nothing has quite surprised me yet with new information in The Odyssey. In fact, it's a bit of a run-on sentence at the moment. But I'm sure that new and interesting adventures are in store.