Following Odysseus: The Odyssey

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald

As I mentioned in my post on The Iliad, First Son and I read this along with Elizabeth Vandiver's The Odyssey of Homer as part of his honors level ninth grade English course, expanded from the suggested epics in the Mater Amabilis™ beta high school plans available in the Facebook group.

I purchased this course during a sale last summer. I also managed to find an audiobook of the same translation as First Son's. I had considered letting First Son listen to it, but he seemed to be doing fine with just the book. Instead, I listened to it. The narrator read slowly, but it was a great way for me to keep up with the reading while folding laundry and washing dishes. One disadvantage of the audiobook is that I don't have any selections to copy into my commonplace book. You can tag places with the audiobook, but I'm usually not where I can tap the screen at the right time so I don't usually bother.

As with The Iliad, Vandiver's course provides a wealth of background and cultural context in addition to a richness in discussions of translations and themes. There are definitely mature themes in The Odyssey which are sometimes made more explicit in the lectures. As First Son is in high school, I didn't find it inappropriate, but I would not have listened to the lectures with our younger children.

The Schedule

Week 1
1 - Book 1
2 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 1
3 - Book 2

Week 2
1 - Book 3
2 - Book 4
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 2

Week 3
1 - Book 5
2 - Book 6
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 3

Week 4
1 - Book 7
2 - Book 8
3 - Book 9

Week 5
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 4
2 - Book 10
3 - Book 11 lines 1-375 (stop on p 187 after "there I also a time for sleep.")

Week 6
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 5
2 - Book 11 lines 375-end
3 - Book 12

Week 7
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 6
2 - Quiz on first 12 books and 6 lectures
3 - Book 13

Week 8
1 - Book 14
2 - Book 15
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 7

Week 9
1 - Book 16
2 - Book 17
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 8

Week 10
1 - Book 18
2 - Book 19
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 9

Week 11
1 - Book 20
2 - Book 21
3 - Book 22

Week 12
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 10
2 - Book 23
3 - Book 24

Week 13
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 11
2 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 12

3 - Quiz on the second half of the Odyssey

The Quizzes

Quiz 1

10 points each

1. What is xenia?
2. Where have you seen xenia practiced well in The Odyssey so far? How so?
3. Where have you seen xenia practiced poorly in The Odyssey so far? How so?
4. Describe what is happening on Ithaca as The Odyssey begins. Give three examples of ways the kingdom is suffering because of his absence.
5. Consider the implications of Odysseus’s refusal to accept Kalypso’s offer of immortality. What does this refusal imply about Odysseus’s view of what it means to be human, as compared to Achilles in The Illiad?
6. How do the songs of the bard of the Phaiakians, Demodokos, affect Odysseus?
7. Do you think Odyssus’s telling Polyphemos his name is an instance of reckless pride, or is he justified in doing so? Why so?
8. Compare and contrast Kalypso and Circe and the relationship between each of them and Odysseus.
9. What happens to all of Odysseus’s companions? Do you think Odysseus is responsible for their fates?
10. Give one example of Odysseus’s skill in rhetoric, in choosing his words and story to his audience.

Quiz 2

10 points each

1. How does Odysseus arrive back on Ithaka?
2. What disguise does Odysseus use on Ithaka? Describe how this disguise is perfect for his needs.
3. Who is Eumaios? How does he show Odysseus xenia?
4. Odysseus lies about who he is to Athena, and again to Eumaios. What do you make of his willingness to resort to lies as soon as he is back on Ithaka? Does it have any significance for our understanding of Odyssesus’s character in the first half of the Odyssey?
5. Describe the first meeting of Telemakhos and Odysseus in the swineherd’s hut. What happens after Eumaios leaves?
6. Describe the first meeting of Penelope and Odysseus.
7. Do you think Penelope knows this beggar is Odysseus? Use what you know of the text to defend your position.
8. How does Odysseus reveal himself to the suitors? What does he do to resolve the situation?
9. Describe the meeting between Penelope and Odysseus after the palace has been cleansed.
10. Did the Trojan War actually happen? Do you think it matters for our appreciation of The Iliad and The Odyssey? Defend your position. 

I received nothing for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. I purchased the Audible course and the audiobook, but The Odyssey was already on our bookshelf.