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Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 281 of 467 of Odyssey, Books 13–24
Book 19 finished. I hate Melantho!
Homer continues to build tension and can't wait to let Odysseus release his anger.
There are also the famous scenes of Odysseus' scar and Penelope's dream.
Dec 29, 2025 10:25AM Add a comment
Odyssey, Books 13–24

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 235 of 467 of Odyssey, Books 13–24
Book 18 finished.
Everyone talks about Cyclopses and Sirens in the Odyssey but not about fighting beggars or throwing stools. These later books are so action packed and awesome!
Dec 14, 2025 09:57AM Add a comment
Odyssey, Books 13–24

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 201 of 467 of Odyssey, Books 13–24
Book 17 finished.
The meanness of the suitors and the evil goat-herd Melanthius is over the top in this book. Poor Odysseus :(
Dec 09, 2025 01:29PM Add a comment
Odyssey, Books 13–24

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 155 of 467 of Odyssey, Books 13–24
Book 16 finished.
A moving reunion of father and son.
I love how Homer always talks of Eumaeus in the second person as he were his dear friend.
Nov 23, 2025 10:51PM Add a comment
Odyssey, Books 13–24

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 119 of 467 of Odyssey, Books 13–24
Book 15 finished.
What a wonderful friend and human being our noble swineherd is!
Nov 10, 2025 12:45PM Add a comment
Odyssey, Books 13–24

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 77 of 467 of Odyssey, Books 13–24
Book 14 finished. Eumaeus, the noble swineherd, was definitely one of Homer's dearest characters, and for me too.
Nov 02, 2025 12:14PM Add a comment
Odyssey, Books 13–24

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 37 of 467 of Odyssey, Books 13–24
Book 13 finished.Odysseus is finally back home at Ithaca and now it's time to kick some suitors. Oh nevermind, he got a side quest from Athene to talk to one swineherd ...
Oct 26, 2025 10:51AM Add a comment
Odyssey, Books 13–24

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 1120 of 1534 of Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady
Letter 362 (Vol. 3/4).
Oh man, this totally got out of hand, and still over 150 letters to go ...
Oct 07, 2025 01:12PM Add a comment
Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 481 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 12 finished.
This was full of memorable moments: Sirens, sea monsters and Odysseus' stupid crew performing a disgraceful sacrifice as an excuse for slaughtering Helios' beloved cattle.
Against stupidity even Odysseus 'of many counsels' is helpless.
Oct 05, 2025 12:55PM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 449 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 11 finished.

Odysseus meets his dead friends in Hades. Homer's obsession and struggle with the topics of death and immortality is quite strong here; we get moving encounters e.g. with his dead mother. Another cool thing is all the short myths (often only a paragraph) of the heroines and heros.
I really liked that one despite it's dubious authenticity.
Oct 03, 2025 04:31AM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 401 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 10 finished.
The Circe story is great. Odysseus sleeping with her was totally unnecessary but Homer, as so often, wanted to make it spicy. Maybe he needed a reason why they accidently stayed for a whole year.
Sep 29, 2025 01:18AM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 359 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 9 finished.
This contains the famous Cyclops story, entertaining gore, and a lot of sheep.
Sep 23, 2025 11:22PM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 317 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 8 finished.
Homer really stresses that Odysseus has PTSD. In this book he is not so much the hero as the minstrel Demodocus (he's literally called "hero" (483)) and his powerful music. An important source of ancient song culture. The self-referentiality is quite interesting to watch - Homer wanted to praise himself a little bit.
Sep 17, 2025 11:26PM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is finished with Pindar: v. 2 (Loeb Classical Library) by Pindar (1997-01-30)
Pindar must have been a great connoisseur (and desperately in need) of wine when he calls it "Dionysos' life-giving remedy for helplessness." (Pae. 4.25 f.)
Sep 14, 2025 08:03AM Add a comment
Pindar: v. 2 (Loeb Classical Library) by Pindar (1997-01-30)

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 273 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 7 finished.
Odysseus in fairyland.
Sep 13, 2025 09:56AM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 247 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 6 finished.
Homer once again thought the story needs some spice and thus introduces Odysseus to Nausicaa ...
Sep 12, 2025 12:18AM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 221 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 5 finished.
Now Odysseus appears, but he's quite a wretch, always sad and crying. Not at all the hero you would expect him to be. I pitied him :(
The stranding scenes at the end are memorable.
Sep 10, 2025 07:16AM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 183 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 4 finished.
This was a long one. I mean, it's nice to see Helen return and to hear the cool Proteus story but, Homer, where's Odysseus? Homer seems to have a tendency to announce his protagonists with the most epic phrases to get us hyped and then to dwell in some side plots. And this book is just side plots of the Telemachus side plot ...
Sep 03, 2025 12:32PM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 119 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 3 finished.
How old is Nestor? In the Iliad he did nothing else than complaining about "grievious old age" and telling stories of long long ago (why was he even there?). But the Iliad is 10 years ago and now Telemachus visits him! Seeing him alive is a bigger marvel than Athene turning into an eagle in front of his eyes in this book. I bet he's a vampire or so ...
Aug 27, 2025 01:06PM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 81 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 2 finished.
I hate the suitors!
Aug 26, 2025 03:40AM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 47 of 496 of Odyssey I, Books 1-12
Book 1 finished.
Definitely different in tone from the Iliad but still truely homeric.
Aug 24, 2025 11:25PM Add a comment
Odyssey I, Books 1-12

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 742 of 1534 of Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady
Letter 229/537. Still has me hard in its grip, like Mr. Lovelace.
Aug 20, 2025 12:58AM Add a comment
Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 563 of 672 of Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)
Book 23 finished.
This was hard to appreciate. It's only about funeral rites and funeral games. For a modern reader they can be very boring. But for Homer they obviously ment a lot. So this book deals in a very different way with two central themes of the Iliad, death and immortality. With this in mind one probably could get a glimps of the hidden beauty of this book, that's they way I read it at least.
Aug 15, 2025 01:45AM Add a comment
Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 493 of 672 of Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)
Book 22 finished.

Finally the fight Homer was preparing for 21 books, and he did not fail to deliver. He really seemed to enjoy portraiting Achilles' wrath because it's out of control.
Andromache's lament at the end was quite moving.
Aug 13, 2025 08:54AM Add a comment
Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 453 of 672 of Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)
Book 21 finished.

Achilles fighting a river and the war of the gods. Homer goes all in.
Aug 11, 2025 11:55PM Add a comment
Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 405 of 672 of Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)
Book 20 finished.

After twenty books, Homer finally gives us the wrath of Achilles he promised us in the first line, and Achilles slays Trojans like a maniac.
(This book also contains the famous prophecy Poseidon gives Aeneas, which made Virgil's Aeneid possible.)
Aug 10, 2025 10:38AM Add a comment
Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 367 of 672 of Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)
Book 19 finished.

A short and strange book. Half the book is about Agamemnon wanting to give Achilles gifts (as if there was not war going on) and Achilles refusing to eat before battle (somehow Homer has to stress this immensly). And finally Achilles chats with his horse, which prophecies his death. But it has an interesting Heracles story and a beautiful armor scene.
Aug 08, 2025 10:31AM Add a comment
Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 335 of 672 of Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)
Book 18 finished.

I don't want to know the condition of Patroclus' corpse after two books of dragging him this way and that way, a wonder that Achilles could still recognize him ...
Finally Achilles starts doing something, his grief is quite moving.
Book 18 ends with the famous shield section - stunning.
Aug 07, 2025 12:59PM Add a comment
Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)

Daniel Seltier
Daniel Seltier is on page 287 of 672 of Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)
Book 17 finished.

Oh boy, a book wholly about the fight for Patroclus' corpse.
Homer obviously wasn't in the mood to drive the story but rather dwelt in giving us stunning and shocking imagery.

Unfortunately I had been forced to take a break from Homer for a while. Such a joy to come back.
Aug 04, 2025 10:58PM Add a comment
Iliad, Books 13–24 (Loeb Classical Library, #171)

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