Achilles and Yossarian: Clarity and Confusion in the Interpretation of The Iliad and Catch-22

Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 has been interpreted from many different vantage points in the nearly fifty years since it was first published. One approach that has not been effectively used has been to consider the influence of Homer’s Iliad on Heller’s novel. From teaching a Humanities seminar in war literature some years ago I had become convinced that this Homeric influence existed and I wrote to the late Mr. Heller to see if he would confirm this impression of mine. In a letter which I recei...