Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey” (Seminar in European Cultural History / History of European Literature)

To find out more about the nature of seminars offered in this programme, please see the profile section at the bottom of this page.

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The written record of European literature begins with epic poetry in Greece. By portraying an objective world, these epics open a window into the past. In many cases, they even provide a key to deciphering it. And the reverse is true as well, for our recorded epics pose a host of challenges to understanding that require insight into the history of religion, military practices, economy, seafaring and politics among others.

To truly understand our epics, we must, however, consider the texts themselves. “Iliad” and “Odyssey” date back to the 8th century BCE. They mark not only the beginning of Greek literature but are at the same time a pinnacle of it. Greek culture laid the bedrock for all the major poetic domains in Europe, creating exemplary masterpieces of epic, lyric and dramatic poetry. “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, the greatest representatives of an otherwise mostly lost epic tradition, have in turn been the models for the whole of Greek literature, most notably for Greek lyric and the immensely influential dramatic poetry of 5th-century Athens. Hence, the reputation of their author as the father of European poetry is well-deserved.

But who was this man? Homer, the fabled poet gifted the songs about an epic world by the Gods themselves, has been shrouded in mystery all along; and although he would become the greatest teacher of the Greek world, modern science attempted to relegate him – more precisely: his authorship of “Iliad” and “Odyssey” – to the realm of fable for good.

With the so-called ‘Homeric question’ occupying the minds of philologists for over 200 years now, tremendous scientific, learned and, not least, enthusiastic effort has been mustered to explain all sorts of inconsistencies, oddities and obscurities contained within the 24 books of either epic poem. Even so the strictly authorial question proved ultimately to be a Danaidean tub, the furtherance in the understanding of both epics afforded by these debates is still invaluable. Anyone wishing to become acquainted with Homer’s great epics of the heroic and the cunning is well-advised to draw on their knowledge for guiding his or her own careful, critical and aesthetically conscious reading.

This seminar intends to provide exactly that.

According to the different composition of “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, we will proceed one or more books at a time. The aim will be the thorough understanding of the text at hand, for which purpose we will familiarise ourselves also with historical circumstances of pre- and post-Homeric times.

As always, the seminar is meant for anyone from first beginner – be that in Homer, in Greek/European literature or in literature in general – to advanced ‘Homeride’. Depending on your interests, we can also include sessions on Homer’s influence on later Greek or modern literature, on his treatment in ancient poetics or modern literary theory and suchlike.

You need not have any knowledge of ancient Greek, but if you are interested in it, important notions and phrases will be explained to you. In any case, the translation we choose will be discussed in such a way as to make the original text transparent to you. You might be surprised as to how great differences between the two can be, and as to what different languages can or simply cannot express.

Location

Online via webcam

General info

Ancient greek

Culture

Literature

Age:	Adults (18-64 years old) Seniors (65+ years old)
Student level:	Beginner Intermediate Advanced
Duration:	45 minutes 90 minutes
The class is taught in:	English, German

About Me

I am a University lecturer in the Humanities who specialises in the history of European philosophy (ancient and modern) and European literature (classical and modern).
It is my wish to make higher education available to anyone worldwide who harbours a personal interest in learning.

'Higher education', in my understanding, is defined not primarily by its content but by the method it employs. This method, not necessarily the material it tends to treat, I believe suitable for just about anyone. A human universal, it consists in the liberal (intellectual) pursuit of knowledge. This is why I wish to encourage individuals of all educational, cultural and professional backgrounds to spare a thought or two -- and possibly more -- on their personal education.

There is very much more to education than learning by heart or applying a given intellectual process in repetitive fashion. True learning, quite inversely, consists in recognising the form of such a process by studying where it applies. Mathematicians are well-equipped for such a task; mathematical reasoning, however, is but one expression of this idea of education. History, for example, literature, art, religion or philosophy afford no less unique a means of comprehension.

Learning in this manner is indispensable for critical and creative thinking, which is not only the most versatile and interesting, but also the most beneficial kind of thinking. Not surprisingly, the liberal pursuit of knowledge, intellectual and otherwise, has long had its place in the humanist tradition of world history.

The offer I wish to make you focusses on one strand of this rich history: the European tradition. It is neither the only one concerned with the pursuit of knowledge, nor does it hold a prerogative on the humanist idea. Setting it apart, however, is the way in which the European tradition has come to treat both ideals, developing, for example, the idea of modern science and that of the individual. Both trace back to ancient Greece, a common heritage for modern Europe which would be utilised differently by the various European nations striving to establish cultural and intellectual traits of their own. Launched by the great movement of the European Renaissance, this process is ongoing still.

The European tradition of learning, European cultural and intellectual history, is what fascinates me personally and interests me professionally, which is why my offer to you includes two things: first, a selection of courses on core themes of European philosophy and literature and, secondly, the opportunity for you to suggest a topic from the general cultural and intellectual history of Europe that is of particular interest to you.

Both set and bespoke courses I offer in the format of seminars. For each session, you will prepare a source text which we will then discuss in class. You will receive background information pertinent to the subject at hand, historical contexts will be explained, and important concepts and ideas will be made accessible to you. Any questions you may have are always welcome. Rather than presenting you with ready-mades, the method of teaching I employ will give you the opportunity to secure and to deepen knowledge by your own effort. Dialogue is paramount.

Usually, we will engage with a particular topic thoroughly over the course of several sessions. You may, however, just as well consult me for individual sessions on a particular problem or a specialised topic you wish to address.

German being my native language, I lend an ear also to concerns you might have with understanding more elaborate German, with writing or with speaking it. Bear in mind, though, I am not a specified language teacher and thus not able to teach this language to you in a comprehensive manner, e.g. by presenting you with paradigms or a vocabulary list. Once you have established a solid base, however, and for questions to which your textbook fails to provide an answer, I can lend a helping hand. Do contact me, and we will work out the details.

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from £46.27Online via webcam

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Availability of a typical week

(GMT -05:00) New York

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2	Monday at 2:00					Saturday at 2:00	Sunday at 2:00
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