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Feb/Mar Classic Spin - Winner is #20

2/11/2014

8 Comments

 
Picture

The spin is in, #20 has become my Classic Club read. Drum roll please, I will be embarking with Odysseus in The Odyssey by Homer.

In hopes of gathering a few sailing buddies along the way, I will make this into a mini-read-along.  I added an "Add Your Link" button below to let others know you have joined in. 

I will be reading a translation by Richmond Lattimore as my primary source.  I might at times compare passages with a second translators work to show a different interpretation of a passage. Do words like dactylic hexameter scare you under the covers? They do me, so I will be using The Great Courses® lecture Odyssey of Homer to help my understanding of the 12,000+ lines of dactylic hexameter. The lecture series uses Lattimore's translation, as well. (You are free to use whatever translation you have and you do not need
The Great Courses® lectures.)

Schedule for planned reading sections and postings, you don't need to follow the schedule to read-along.  I tried to break-up the reading to allow time to schedule into already overbooked reading plans and digest what is read. 

Feb 11 – Feb 15
  • Background Information Prep
Feb 16 – Feb 22
  • Books I – IV (pg 27-87: 61) – This section deals primarily with Odysseus’ son Telemachos
Feb 23 – Mar 1
  • Books V – VIII (pg 88-136: 49) – Odysseus leaving Kalypso island and journeys to Scheria
Mar 2 – Mar 8
  • Books IX – XII (pg 137-197: 61) – Flashbacks from Odysseus’ from Troy to Kalypso island
Mar 9 – Mar 15
  • Books XIII – XVII (pg 198-269: 72) – This is start of Odysseus’ narrative home to Ithaka
Mar 16 – Mar 22
  • Books XVIII – XXII (pg 270-334: 65) – continuation of Odysseus’ narrative
Mar 23 – Mar 29
  • Books XXIII – XXIV (pg 335-359: 25) – Conclusion and resolutions
Mar 30 – Apr 2
  • Wrap-up
Picture
Click image to be
directed to download site
Thank you to Cleo @ Classical Carousel for designing a RAL button for everyone to use.

Primary Reading Source

The Odyssey of Homer, Translated and with an Introduction by Richmond Lattimore
ISBN: 978-0-06-124418-6
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (2007)

Lecture Series
Odyssey of Homer
Professor Elizabeth Vandiver, University of Maryland
The Great Courses®, The Teaching Company (1999)

Read Along Image: Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse (1891)
Work is in the Public domain in countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 90 years or less


Classic Club's (@ourclassicsclub) twitter tags: #ccspin;
#theclassicsclub

[Notice: Original posting 2014-02-11 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]

Tags: Odyssey; Read-Alongs; Club Spins

8 Comments
Cleo @ Classical Carousel link
2/11/2014 01:26:01 pm

I was just going to bug you that you needed to do another post because I'm running out of posts to comment on. Looks like I should have kept my mouth/mind shut! ;-)

This will make me get behind with Le Morte, I think. But, hey, who is more important, Arthur or Odysseus? I'd go with the latter. ;-)

Do I REALLY have to go easy on you? ;-)

Reply
Plethora
2/12/2014 01:07:33 am

I need to catch-up on my Arthur reading as well. I'm trying to keep stuff balanced and not too far titled in any one direction.

My review post are suffering, six behind now.

Reply
Carola link
2/12/2014 12:24:29 am

I found your blog and this post through the Classics Club twitter :) I've been meaning to (partially re)read The Odyssey for a really long time so I think I'll be joining you! I've got a different translation though, by Samuel Butler, but that should be okay I think :)

Reply
Plethora
2/12/2014 01:03:28 am

Please do join, glad you found me.

Yes, whatever translation you have works. It actually adds to the conversation. Sometimes the feel for particular passages comes across differently by how a translator chose to write it.

Reply
O link
2/12/2014 05:56:37 pm

I'm in! Looking forward to it! I'll share this on Twitter, then do my sign up post either today or tomorrow.

I've read this before, and The Iliad, but both readings were disastrous - hopefully with your schedule and some others joining in I'll have more success. Thanks for hosting this :)

Reply
Plethora
2/12/2014 11:24:56 pm

Thank you!

I hope we can all help each other along and share insights to do justice to this epic work of poetry.

Reply
Brona link
2/17/2014 04:54:27 pm

As you know I'm half way through this book (having started and stalled last year).
I look forward to the background posts to refresh my memory :-)

Reply
Plethora
2/18/2014 03:00:33 am

Glad to have you along, hopefully we can inspire you to finish this time.

Feel free to post along the way from what you recall or wait until you are actively reading again.

Reply



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