I wish reviewers would stop latching on to the concept of “relevance” when describing the merits of an ancient text. Such a strangely utilitarian way of thinking about literature, as if its value lies in what it can do for us today.
Also, this seems to me to be utterly unfounded:
“Which poem is better, the Iliad or the Odyssey? I don’t have hard numbers to back this up, but today it seems pretty clear that the Odyssey wins hands down in the mass popularity stakes.“
>Also, this seems to me to be utterly unfounded: “Which poem is better, the Iliad or the Odyssey? I don’t have hard numbers to back this up, but today it seems pretty clear that the Odyssey wins hands down in the mass popularity stakes.“
The "which is better" is unanswerable but in terms of popularity, the evidence seems to show that The Odyssey is more well-known to today's readers.
One reason is that many USA high schools use The Odyssey instead of the The Iliad in reading assignments.
As for another datapoint to popularity, compare the number of ratings & reviews of The Odyssey (~760k) vs The Iliad (~305k) on Goodreads[1][2]. Similar popularity differences can be found on Amazon for other translations.
The 2004 film Troy may have increased awareness of The Iliad but it still seems like The Odyssey is more popular.
The Odyssey is the archetype for an entire genre of "road trip" stories throughout history. It's also, more broadly, a key point of influence for many aspects of the Campbellian hero's journey. The Iliad simply hasn't exerted the same level of influence on storytelling.
The roadtrip part is smaller part of the Oddysey (maybe 30% definitely less then half), most of that is politics at home and getting control of the house. It is much different then other example of the narrative structure listed as examples of hero's journey.
That’s probably true, The Odyssey is a coherent story with a single protagonist and works better as a whole narrative. The Iliad is really a collection of stories, but taken together it’s a treasure trove of characters, events and ideas.
The Golden Apple, the beauty contest of the goddesses, Helen’s elopement with Paris, the Greeks burning their boats, the story of Achilles and his famous vulnerable spot and death, the wooden horse, the destruction of Troy.
Its a huge fund of anecdotes, sayings and archetypes that infuse western society.
Most of the stories you mention in relation to the Iliad don't actually appear in the Iliad, you know.
Also, if anything can be described as "a collection of stories", it strikes me that Books 9-12 of the Odyssey (Odysseus' stories about the Cyclops, the Laestrygonians, the Lotus-Eaters, Scylla and Charybdis, the Cattle of the Sun, etc.) fit the bill much better than anything in the Iliad.
"The Iliad simply hasn't exerted the same level of influence on storytelling."
This is highly subjective. The influence of the Iliad on European literature, art, and culture has been absolutely colossal.
Indeed, given that the Odyssey was itself influenced by the Iliad, you might say that anything the Odyssey influences should ultimately be credited back to the Iliad.
I don't know what to make of this; The Odyssey has more reviews but The Iliad has better reviews on average. Are we defining popularity as "known by many" or "liked by many"?
The specific quotation being discussed from the article is "today it seems pretty clear that the Odyssey wins hands down in the mass popularity stakes".
> I wish reviewers would stop latching on to the concept of “relevance” when describing the merits of an ancient text. Such a strangely utilitarian way of thinking about literature, as if its value lies in what it can do for us today.
On the other hand, it's a line of thought that leads to stuff like Shay's Achilles in Vietnam and Achilles in America, stuff which has value.
Also, this seems to me to be utterly unfounded: “Which poem is better, the Iliad or the Odyssey? I don’t have hard numbers to back this up, but today it seems pretty clear that the Odyssey wins hands down in the mass popularity stakes.“