Wednesday, December 30, 2009

How to read the Iliad

(Note: this is another in a series of posts from 43 Things


"Worth reading but time consuming"

How I did it: I was an English major in college, so reading the Iliad should've been something I did back then, but it wasn't. We read excerpts. So I decided to read the whole thing. It took me six months because I kept dipping in and out of it. But once I decided to really FINISH it, it took me about three days.


Lessons & tips: If you don't have any background in Greek mythology, it might be helpful to do some preliminary research, or get a copy with good notes, so you know who's who. I took a class on mythology and still found myself making family trees, etc. and notating in the margins.

Resources: I used the Robert Fagles Iliad, from Penguin classics. If you read this one, it really helps to be familiar with the Greek pantheon before you begin.
Also, a desire to FINISH is very helpful. It can be one of those big books that just sits around half-read if you don't really plow through it.

It took me 5 months.

It made me

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