Welcome to episode 3 of TLDR! Regan and I were joined by a special guest this episode to help us unpack Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Alyssa has been on “Odyssey watch” for “years” in anticipation of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation, and offers absolutely invaluable insight throughout this pod. Thank you, Alyssa!!
For many of us, a new Nolan flick is an essential summer cinematic event, regardless of whether or not we know shit about oral tradition and Greek mythology. For that express reason, we here on TFV staff chose to make it a priority to help as many of you as possible understand what the fork is happening in this story, so you can sit back and let Nolan’s uniquely mind-melting brand of cinema wash over you. (Because do NOT tell me you understood Inception on your first watch.)
Many of us have some familiarity with the events of The Odyssey, whether it’s from high school English, modern retellings, or even recall of Greek myth touchstones like the Sirens, Lotus Eaters, and Cyclopes. But even with that familiarity, The Odyssey is still surprising—like, I was *shocked* to discover that the titular odyssey doesn’t even really HAPPEN on the page.
We used Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation of the poem, which we all highly recommend as The Version to use if you decide to pick up this story.1 Alyssa describes in the pod how the myths served the same purpose as fables or parables—and in Wilson’s words, The Odyssey is about “the duties and dangers involved in welcoming foreigners into your home.” For Hollywood’s purposes, it will probably be interpreted as more of a hero’s journey, and that’ll be great, because it basically is the original hero’s journey. But “hero” didn’t mean to the ancient Greeks what it means to us today.
Greek heroes were basically just, people who had stories about them. They were main characters with special traits, doing things that were difficult to do. They generally weren’t saving anyone or doing things for the common good. Greek gods really didn’t care if you were a “good person” or not, which is why it’s interesting to interpret the narrative of The Odyssey through the anxieties and preoccupations of a population of people who prayed to those gods.
One thing I found interesting as I was editing this conversation was seeing how we clearly don’t come from an oral storytelling tradition. At one point, Regan talked about how she often had trouble picturing events and couldn’t get a sense for what Odysseus’ odyssey2 was really like; I agreed, saying that reading The Odyssey felt similar to reading a script. The text is pretty much exposition, dialogue, and formulae, with occasional moments of beautiful prose, but even those moments were quite simple, like—a moon covered by clouds.
But of course that’s how it is. Why would a culture that tells stories orally care about prose? It would have been at the liberty of each poet to embellish or add flair, and any mood or tone would come from their performance. When you’re telling someone a story, you’re going to prioritize the events that occurred and what so-and-so said and did. You’re not going to describe how the air felt or what their expression was, because you’ll lose your listener. But in written narrative, we do prioritize those things, because the way you can evoke certain feelings or sensations with just written words is basically the whole point. And because we aren’t with our audience, we have to leave them with everything we’ve got.
In the end, my favorite part of reading and talking about The Odyssey has been imagining the poets telling these tales, and the rooms full of people hanging on to every word.
It wouldn’t be a true TLDR if I hadn’t forgotten something I wanted to say in the pod, so I’m going to end this with the final paragraph of Wilson’s translator’s note, which I had wanted to read aloud. I think it sets the stage perfectly.
There is a stranger outside your house. He is old, ragged, and dirty. He is tired. He has been wandering, homeless, for a long time, perhaps many years. Invite him inside. You do not know his name. He may be a thief. He may be a murderer. He may be a god. He may remind you of your husband, your father, or yourself. Do not ask questions. Wait. Let him sit on a comfortable chair and warm himself beside your fire. Bring him some food, the best you have, and a cup of wine. Let him eat and drink until he is satisfied. Be patient. When he is finished, he will tell his story. Listen carefully. It may not be as you expect.
This has been—
xxx your twin flame
No fan cast for this episode—Nolan’s casting choices were already pretty hot and we didn’t wanna confuse anyone further.
It also sounds like listening to it is the way to go!! (Claire Danes narrates.) Wilson impressively wrote her translation in iambic pentameter to give it a distinct beat, which other translators have not attempted to do.
I forgot to ask Alyssa: Is he named Odysseus at birth beCAUSE he will eventually be on an odyssey? Or is it an odyssey BECAUSE he’s named Odysseus???
