Ancient Greek Reading Group: The Iliad
The language of Homer is an “art-language”—a Kunstsprache—comprised of multiple Greek dialects and from multiple historical periods. No one ever spoke “Homeric,” except of course for the traditional bard, who sang his ever fluid songs as his audiences and occasions (and commissions) demanded. And prior to every performing bard are millenia of performances of heroic poetry, extending back to Indo-European traditions of song-making. Our modern-day texts of Homer both preserve and conceal a wondrously dynamic tradition of poetry in performance. How might our reading practices recover some of the multiform riches of an originally oral poem?
Our continuing reading group will take up Books 18 and 24 of the Iliad. As we translate together, we will intensively study the principal aspects of Homeric language: its morphology and syntax, its meter, its use of “formulae” and repetition, its use of figurative language, its word-play and etymologizing, and its characteristic use of tradition to creative ends. As well, we will encounter first hand the concluding themes of the Iliad: the opposition of Akhilleus and Hektor, the social standing and ultimate impurity of the warrior, the senses of the Fall of Troy, the frivolity and terror of the Olympians, Akhillleus’ alienation, and the toils of “civilization.”
Course Schedule
Tuesday, 6:00-8:00pm ETFebruary 03 — March 10, 2026
6 weeks
$335.00
This class is completed. Check out our upcoming courses.