“Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who was driven far journeys after he sacked Troy’s sacred city. Many were they whose cities he saw, whose minds he learned of, many the pains he suffered in his spirit on the wide sea, struggling for his own life and the homecoming of his companions.”

So begins the Odyssey, the extraordinary and monumental epic of the long-suffering, shrewd Odysseus who, ten years after the fall of Troy, longs to return home where his wife is fending off suitors who presume the hero is dead and his son yearns for a father he has never known. In this story, we will experience Odysseus’ fabulous encounters with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the enchanting witch Circe, the luring sirens, the deadly Scylla and Charybdis, and many other gods, creatures, and peoples. We will follow Odysseus as he returns home in disguise and faces dangers to his life as he tries to restore his kingdom, family, and identity.

This course will be a book-by-book close reading of books 1 through 6 of the Odyssey. In this seminar-style course we will examine the text, language, narrative, society, and traditions that shaped this epic, as well as the influence it has had in history, literature, archaeology, and art. The Odyssey is Homer’s great tale of the wanderings, sufferings, and return of Odysseus, the man of many ways, the war hero and adventurer, who yearns for home and family.