17 How to read classics and The Iliad Book I

How to read classics! A student recently asked for help on this. I thought it might be useful for others, so here we go. There’s a written precis of the advice on Story on the Brain for those of you who like a written guide.

Helping people tackle classics is kind of my whole thing, more so than modern literature, if you haven’t guessed already. I studied comparative literature with a focus on classics up to medieval. I never really studied anything past that aside from whatever random texts English teachers in college decided to throw our way, or certain seminars in grad school that hooked me on Haruki Murakami and Kobo Abe and such.

Not a systematic approach. But I sure spent a LOT of time studying classics in the Greek and Latin sense in particular. I am versed in the LORE. I’ve got strong opinions about Agamemnon and Achilles and Heracles and Odysseus and Theseus (nope) and I am in love with Euripides and Aeschylus and Sophocles and all the rest. Ovid on the Latin side, mostly. Learned Latin, loved the Greek lit best. Well, so it goes.

Was Achilles a big jerk? Sure! I read it that way. You get to decide. Prepare to be handed the keys to the kingdom. You get to read classics of all kinds (I talk a lot about Jane Austen, too) with your own opinions and interpret as you will. You have the power!

I did however repeatedly say Homer composed in 8000 BCE instead of 800 BCE and could not find all of those spots to fix them, so I apologize for putting Homer in the NEOLITHIC era, for goodness sake, instead of the Iron Age.

Though the Trojan War itself probably took place around the 12th or 13th century BCE, if it was a real thing and not pure myth. Again, not ten thousand years ago. 3200 years ago. Come on, brain. I read 8th century and thought 8th millennium.

There were no nail guns as it’s Sunday, but the animals made up for it, especially my good dog, who tap danced her way through part of this. Everybody shush!

I really love The Iliad. Especially Hector. Oh, Hector. The Trojans should have won, based on him alone.

Sacred cheese of life!