Homer: Odyssey (1 / 3)

The Odyssey does not open with a journey but inertia — Odysseus wastes himself beside the shore, staring at the fruitless sea; much-courted Penelope weaves and un-weaves the same cloth, never making progress; their son, Telemachus has completely failed to launch.

Whether to move is, in part, a choice Odysseus makes in the poem. Rather than return to barren Ithaca, he could stay on Calypso’s lush and fertile island. Unlike Penelope, the goddess is charmed by his incessant deceits and schemes. To leave, after all, is to ensure his inevitable demise, yet Calypso offers Odysseus life everlasting without the ravages of age and loss. Somehow this complicated man chooses to leave, to deliberately embrace suffering, perversely preferring the worse over the better.

Full of travelers and strangers who might be gods, con men, or a little bit of both, come join us in reading the Odyssey! (Besides, we heard there was a movie recently!)

Please read ahead and be prepared to discuss Homer’s text in detail.

**Reading schedule by meeting:

1. Books 1–8
2. Books 9–16
3. Books 17 – 24

We’ll meet once a month for three meetings.