The Iliad: Initial Thoughts

The Iliad has overwhelmed me.

This may seem like the most obvious thing to say considering it is 15,000 verses and especially if one has abandoned reading it in the past. This time I was especially motivated to read, understand and for lack of a better word conquer it.

I read Chaucer in middle English or rather struggled to read it in its original middle English. The struggle really made me feel like I was traveling back in time. Since I don’t understand Greek, I started searching for an English translation that would hopefully replicate the feeling of time travel that I had with Chaucer.  George Chapman & Alexander Pope’s old manuscripts seemed to transfer me to the familiarly unfamiliar place in time & typography that I needed to experience time travel. Unfortunately a review to the effect of "It is a pretty poem, Mr. Pope, but you must not call it Homer." made me suspect the authenticity of these translations.

With deep regret I settled for a simple contemporary translation and prepared myself for a subpar homeric experience.

I wonder if there is a feeling equivalent to the overview effect experienced by astronauts for readers of the Iliad. The overview effect is defined as ‘a cognitive shift in awareness during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer space. It is the experience of seeing first-hand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, "hanging in the void", shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. The effect may also invoke a sense of transcendence and connection with humanity as a whole, from which national borders appear petty.’

I am sure I’ll be able to compose a better essay on the first 4 books during the course of this tutorial. This was supposed to be that essay but it’s not. This initial reading of Iliad left me paralysed with a lot of conflicting thoughts and feelings. Reading the Iliad in Greek or Middle English with incredible poetry would have made me revere Homer’s words but the experience of reading it in a simple translation was unexpectedly visceral. I could feel my hair stand. I didn’t feel a reverential distance from Homer. Reverential yes but no distance.

I’m documenting my feelings at this stage so I can return to reflect upon them after the tutorial is over.

Just like the overview effect where astronauts experienced a connection with humanity as a whole by the absence of borders, the Back to the Future effect is brought about by the absence of time and space when reading the Iliad in a simple English translation. It felt like the story could have easily played out in the right now and the right next to me instead of over 3000 years ago in the mediterranean. 

I feel intense envy at all the school kids fortunate to have a syllabus that includes the Iliad.

I also feel an intense sense of self satisfaction at having reached the foothills ready to scale the Iliad knowing fully well that this mountain was always distant in the horizon the last few decades. Here we are.

My friend was describing how he had predicted different possible outcomes of a stock trade he had entered and his trade exit decisions based on different outcomes. Yet in spite of all his homework, foresight and preparation he said when the time came, he could not pull the trigger to exit the trade and cut his losses.

Intelligence and wisdom is not action.

The absurd actions of the players in the Iliad seem contrary to their inherent intelligence and battle wrought wisdom.

In some way this made me realize that studying the Iliad as a kid in school may not have prevented certain outcomes in my life. The Iliad is no substitute for a child who gains wisdom only through blood soaked scraped knees more than once. This realization has helped to temper the envy I have for kids studying it in school. My turbulent real life experiences have definitely made me appreciate the Iliad so much more as an adult.