“Most Important” Books of The Odyssey

Greek Homeric Greek and Early Greek Poetry
1

Much as I asked wrt The Iliad, what do scholars hold to be the “most important” books of the 24 books of the Odyssey?

I have limited time (2mo) in an online discussion group (two 2hr seminar sessions) to read the whole thing through quickly in month 1, then go back and focus on the so-called “important books” for a closer read in month 2.

After having done such a 2mo 2x2hr discussion group for The Iliad, I’m doing an 8 weekly 2hr discussion group pass at The Iliad, allowing me to spend time on each Book. That’s very nice! I expect to do the same with The Odyssey.

Thanks,

BRET

2

Digging a bit more, it seems that there are fewer commentaries limited to specific books of The Odyssey than for The Iliad - more all-in-one or 1-24 series.

Beginning Greek with Homer (Beetham) works with Book 5, but only as “The function of Odyssey V is to introduce the hero”, according to the author.

So, maybe there is less sentiment wrt “important books" for The Odyssey than The Iliad, or more attention has been given to the The Odyssey by commenters?

3

I asked five different large language model AI engines “What books of Homer’s The Odyssey do scholars consider most important?” and there was moderate agreement on Books 1, 9-12, 22, 24.

That question asked of The Iliad yielded Books 1, 9, 16, 18, 22, 24.

Whatever AI might be good for, it’s probably good at summarizing popular opinion.

4

I doubt that there is a ‘popular opinion’ on this issue. And surely which books are more important would depend on the questions being asked

5

My daughter’s list of the most important parts of the Odyssey after having listened four times through now:

  1. Odysseus kills the suitors

  2. The Cyclops

  3. The Sirens

  4. Calypso

  5. The Princess

  6. The parts after Odysseus kills the suitors, where he goes to his father.

Those are what she volunteers anyway. When asked about other individual sections, like the swine herd, etc., she doesn’t have much to say except that she likes them. The descent into Hades though is “too scary.”

She says this specifically: “Reading the Cyclops section is very good advice, because then you know not to run into people’s houses, when they didn’t invite you.”

Finally, I personally discount her recommendation of “Unicorn Academy” as the best books in the world after the Odyssey and Iliad.

6

Hackett Publishing has an abridgment of the Odyssey, so you can see what they consider the essential parts for a college or high school course.

https://hackettpublishing.com/the-essential-odyssey

7

I believe there used to be a sense that after the I - XII books the Odyssey changes character a bit. It gets more prosaic, used to be the idea, only picking up again when Odysseus picks up ye olde bow.

However, some Cambridge Yellow and Greens focus more on the second half of the Odyssey because the editors feel these books have been ‘misunderestimated’ previously. Check out Bowie’s excellent commentary on XIII and XIV and Steiner on XVII-XVIII.

That being said, I think the Phaiacan books (VI-VIII) are a terrific read, and there is a ditto commentary by Garvie in the Y&G.