Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Iliad

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!

Content Warnings

devontoia's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

A lot of Greek name dropping and gory death scenes. It is basically a lot of killing of people you don’t care much about. I can appreciate its place in history and it certainly explains why Western culture views violence as entertainment, but it is personally not to my taste.

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strabbyfieldz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this shit was wild my head is so fried rn, I like that Homer included a talking horse for about two lines and then immediately retconned it

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catrasbookclub's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Spoiler

they fight so much (ofcourse) but I between Homer being dramatic and fighting is really nothing happening and reading this is really hard but that is pro ably because of the old style it's written in but a really good story I mean it's the Trojan war that is an amazing myth

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ramireads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There is just something about this book. As someone who usually hates books that drone on about the fighting side of a war, I really found myself gripped in this one. The repetition really bought me back into the poetry mindset, and I think the book was well-paced and even though I knew what was going to happen, I found myself stressed, excited and on the edge of my seat. I am really looking forward to the Odyssey.

Content Warnings