A review by earthtokb
The Iliad by Homer

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this is one of the more readable translations of the illiad, which I’m grateful for. Still, I had to read it alongside a podcast to really grasp the plot. though the illiad is regarded as a classic (since it was orated & then written so long ago), it’s… not a well written poem lol & the characters are v hard to root for! all the acheans had sex slaves, dudes were in a war for 9+ years over someone else’s marital problems, the descriptors don’t quite make sense (ex: saying “swift runner achilles” when achilles isn’t even running), and the list goes on! I see the merit in continuing to teach it, but I think we do lots of damage to the rep of poetry when we teach this like it’s great poetry when it is moreso a marker of its time/one part of the rich history of what poetry has done over time. that’s just me, though! appreciate fagles for making this poem readable to a contemporary audience, but I really hope we question what is considered a “clasdic” over time.  Also, boo to pro-war propaganda! 
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