The Odyssey

The Odyssey is considered to be one of the greatest pieces of world literature. Its basic story—the homecoming of Odysseus—is widely known. Although it has often been translated, earlier versions do not give the reader the full sense of its oral epic nature as a song that came into being through a long tradition of sung performances before writing was widely practiced. When finally written down, it retained its oral-formulaic nature in ways that are clearly discernible, and which this trans...