Andrew’s Reviews > The Iliad > Status Update
Andrew
is 67% done
OMG I'm going to fish this because of course, but I have to ask: has this poem survived so long because it's truly great literature--or is it considered great literature only because it has survived for so long? I'm sure if I took course on it I could be made to appreciate it's beauty. But when any art is regarded at length and with gravity owing to its provenance, one could probably be made to appreciate its beauty
— Sep 23, 2023 05:01AM
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I think it's both. Anything so old gains historical significance for its insight into the values of its time. For my money The Odyssey is much more accessible, The Iliad having so many battlefield descriptions that I find tedious. While it more or less defines all the big "poetic devices" that Western lit builds from, I think the translation makes a big difference as to how lovely those devices seem to contemporary audiences.