| The Iliad - Homer The story of the wrath of Achilles, and of the Trojan war. Bold and brave men, stubborn men, dead men, and one notoriously beautiful woman. It's called the greatest war story of all time. I can't really argue with that, because I haven't read many war stories. But the nature of war does capture what is good and bad -- or hard -- about the Iliad. The high emotions lead to high drama which is good reading. Epic porportions make you wish to live in a grand age and commit grand deeds. The characters are larger than life, demi-gods in themselves, and it is easy to exult in their achievements and lament their shortcomings. The story provokes me to think about such notions as honor, fate, freedom, love, loyalty, and hatred. It's no wonder college professors and high school teachers love this book so much -- there's no shortage of things to write essays about. On the other hand, it is often tediously gory. Pages and pages, especially through the middle, of gouging out eyes, spears through shoulder blades, guts spilling on the floor, and the like. Unless you're thirteen and like to wear camo, this isn't much fun. It takes some serious perseverance to push through it and find the "good stuff". I picked up a different translation, a novelization, and I must strongly recommend reading the Iliad in verse. It adds something vital -- maybe reading about war and death and gore in verse makes it feel a little more poetic. I'm not sorry I read it, but I don't plan on ever reading it again. |