Homer's Iliad: Books 10-16
Thinking Man Book Club Does The Iliad
This will be a short update, just to check in. I’ve read through 16 books of Iliad. The books, which break the epic poem in 24 parts, were originally organized by the letters of the Greek alphabet. It’s debated whether the epic was separated into these 24 sections by the original composer(s), if they were done long after they had been written (in order to make it easier for scribes to work with), or if it was done for early performances. I’m no Homeric scholar, so don’t take my word for any of this.
Iliad was likely written by many poets through the oral tradition of storytelling before it was ever officially written down. Because of this, it’s hard to pinpoint what was part of the original work and what may have been changed over time. There is, however, one book of Iliad that seems to have a general consensus that it was written much later than the rest of the epic.
I’m talking about Book 10. That’s the part where Odysseus and Diomedes embark on a mission to spy on the Trojans in the dead of night. Upon first reading, I noticed a serious tone shift there. Modern scholars make the argument that the language, structure, and theme of Book 10 indicate that it was added much later than the original. The idea of this book not being an initial part of the poem is nothing new; even scholars in antiquity argued that it couldn’t have been part of the original. Did anyone else notice a difference?
Anyway. I’m thoroughly enjoying Iliad and have found myself fully immersed in the story. We end Book 16 with Patroclus’s ferocity on the battlefield. I still can’t believe we’re 2/3’s of the way through this book and Achilles hasn’t done anything. Odds are, that’s about to change. See you in July when we finish this thing!
Thanks for reading! Feel free to share your own list—I could always use a few more book recommendations.
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