"So peaceful shalt thou end thy blissful days, And steal thyself from life by slow decays." - The Odyssey

Okay so one of the compulsory texts that we were given to read at uni this term was the Robert Fagles translation of Homer's 'Odyssey.' I can safely say without a shadow of a doubt that it is the most pain I have ever experienced whilst reading a book. Like literal mental torture. Now, I may only think this because I absolutely hate greek history and classical civilisation (I took it at AS level, got a U in a mock test and quickly dropped the subject) or am I right in thinking that its just really really difficult to stay attentive to?

Having read 'The Illiad' I'm actually starting to think that its the latter. See, with 'The Illiad' I kind of knew the story of Troy anyway so it was fairly easy to follow - especially when you have the image of Brad Pitt as Achillies firlmly implanted into your head. But I wasnt at all familiar with the story of Odysseus which is why I think it was just a very difficult read.

In the seminar discussions, the topic of "is The Odyssey timeless?" came up, and quite honestly I think that the answer is no. Firstly, the language barrier is going to be a big issue in the first place, everything is just so dramatic that it does get quite exhausting after a while. This does make sense when you think about the fact that originally the text was read orally to people so the narratve has to be dramatic in order to engage listeners. But in reality, who is going to sit down and listen to someone read them 'The Odyssey' in 2013? I fully understand that this poem is a classic and has been passed down through the ages, but these stories simply aren't relevant anymore in the format that they are offered by this book. I can't think of many people that would voluntarily pick up this book and settle down with a glass of wine and a good greek battle.

Call me modern, but I think that changing the format of the story of Odysseus would actually make it more appealing to new generations and younger audiences. Perhaps transferring the main stories in the poem to a modern day setting. Or making a film that would welcome more audiences. If Romeo and Juliette can be turned into a hollywood blockbuster (with none other than the glorious Leo DiCaprio) OR BETTER YET a cartoon amazingly named "Gnomeo and Juliet" then why are there no adaptations of The Odyssey?

 I'm not sitting here saying that this book should be put in the freezers of all who own it and left there forever and book shops should cease to offer this epic poem to the poor sods that will think that its a good read. I am simply saying that on a personal level, it wasn't enjoyable at all and to be on an English Literature degree and studying this is completely baffling to me because this is classics. And I must admit I felt at a bit of a disadvantage. The essay that I wrote on this text was quite literally the worst essay I have ever written in my life and I was quite frankly ashamed to hand it in because I'm rubbish at Greek history, I was expecting Shakespeare galore!

The historical context of this poem is infuriating. The way that women are treated is not comfortable to read in a time where women are no longer just pieces of meat. And the so called "hero" of the poem is rather arrogant and exceptionally violent. Killing a lot of men for eating some of your food and attempting to court your wife becuse they thought you were dead? Okay, a bit of a slap on the wrist maybe but murder? No.
This poem will always be timeless theres no denying, there are elements of it in films such as 'O' Brother Where Art Thou' by the Cohen brothers so the story will always apply. It's just about adaptation and making it a bit more interesting I think.

But maybe I'm just still resentful about my grade U in classical civilisation...