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keberwick's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of the first books I read for my extended essay comparing the Percy Jackson series and the Iliad. I found that the second essay in this book was the most helpful as it focused more on the characters and less on what Homer's poem was about (if that makes sense). The second essay also contains a section comparing the Iliad to Leo Tolstoy's works, which I thought was incredibly interesting. It's definitely a great book if you want to know more about the Iliad, and it's rather short which makes it even better.
ztaylor4's review against another edition
4.0
In school I read the Iliad as a story of heroes, along the lines of the Greek myths. Weil's essay, charged by the devastation of France in the World Wars, reveals another side of that story: the cycles of dehumanizing violence. She effectively presents this theme in Homer with clear examples.
However, despite the strength and style of Weil's essay, some points left me unconvinced. While Homer depicted brutal violence, he also presented glory gained in battle in a way not present in Weil's interpretation. Also, the final section of the essay in which Weil theorizes that the love and justice of the Iliad were the source of the love and justice of the Gospels felt like a departure from the thesis of the essay and provided a weak conclusion, especially as the theme of "justice" presented earlier hardly carried a Gospel quality.
Although the essay has its flaws, the core thesis effectively presents the philosophical effects of violence, showing how Homer's work can be relevant to a modern audience.
However, despite the strength and style of Weil's essay, some points left me unconvinced. While Homer depicted brutal violence, he also presented glory gained in battle in a way not present in Weil's interpretation. Also, the final section of the essay in which Weil theorizes that the love and justice of the Iliad were the source of the love and justice of the Gospels felt like a departure from the thesis of the essay and provided a weak conclusion, especially as the theme of "justice" presented earlier hardly carried a Gospel quality.
Although the essay has its flaws, the core thesis effectively presents the philosophical effects of violence, showing how Homer's work can be relevant to a modern audience.
chrisdech's review against another edition
4.0
It's difficult to explain how well-written these essays by Simone Weil, Rachel Bespaloff, and Hermann Broch are.
Weil and Bespaloff give emphatic, passionate analyses of the Iliad and its importance to world literature and the human condition. Broch gives a pleasant layer of depth to Bespaloff's essay, and, in general, all three deepen one's understanding of one of the most important works of literature in world history. They lend a greater insight to the ethics and the emotions of the Iliad, beyond simply the war and the sublime one-on-one interactions in the epic.
I think you'll just have to read these.
(This was purchased during the NYRB summer sale).
8/10.
Weil and Bespaloff give emphatic, passionate analyses of the Iliad and its importance to world literature and the human condition. Broch gives a pleasant layer of depth to Bespaloff's essay, and, in general, all three deepen one's understanding of one of the most important works of literature in world history. They lend a greater insight to the ethics and the emotions of the Iliad, beyond simply the war and the sublime one-on-one interactions in the epic.
I think you'll just have to read these.
(This was purchased during the NYRB summer sale).
8/10.
oaklandbex's review against another edition
5.0
Simone's 'The Iliad, or the Poem of Force' at the beginning of this is possibly the best, most beautiful piece I've read of her work.
rltinha's review against another edition
3.0
Os primeiros 2/3 são absolutamente imprescindíveis para quem haja apreciado esse épico ímpar que é a Ilíada. O restante consistiu num pequeno calvário que oscilou entre o meu desinteresse leitor (os temas pareceram-me forçados e até aborrecidos), com muito mais-do-mesmo no texto do Benfey (perfeitamente dispensável).
anti_formalist12's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating and nuanced, save the last essay. It feels more tacked on, and the book itself has an introduction, so appending an older introduction as well feels unnecessary.
caterpillarnotebooks's review against another edition
5.0
the Bespaloff essay was a hot mess but Weil's piece was beyond incredible so 5 stars i guess?