This is the first of a series of articles intended to assist teachers and pupils studying Homer’s Odyssey during the last two years of school. The series is tailored to the requirements of AS Unit CC2 - Homer's Odyssey and Society, which forms part of the OCR Classical Civilisation syllabus. AS-level exams are taken in England in the penultimate year of school. OCR is the only English examination-board to provide a comprehensive range of Classical options.
However, the themes covered within this series, although they do match those specified by OCR, are all such as ought to be investigated by anyone seeking to better understand the Odyssey.
The themes covered by this series will include the composition of the Odyssey, including a brief examination of the oralist, analyst, and neoanalyst views; the nature of oral poetry; the concepts of honour, glory, heroism and justice; the roles of the gods and fate; the structure of and narrative techniques used in the Odyssey; the themes of return, disguise and recognition; characterisation within the Odyssey; and the importance of hospitality in the Homeric world.
Suggestions for further reading will be provided at the end of each article, should either teacher or student wish to explore any given topic in greater detail.
In addition to a good translation of the Odyssey, I would also recommend the following as essential resources:
Hainsworth, J. B., Heubeck, A. & West, S., A Commentary on Homer's Odyssey ; Oxford UP 1988-1992 – A detailed textual commentary, which also provides good summaries of past scholarship relating to many important issues.
Finley, M.I., The World of Odysseus; 1954 (currently available from Penguin) – Does what it says on the tin – examines the world in which the Odyssey is set, providing an essential introduction to concepts such as gift-exchange, the oikos, and Homeric morality and values.
