The Homeric poems, Iliad and Odyssey, have been "required reading" in Western culture from its first beginnings. Although a complete mystery in so many respects (their date and authorship are unknown; they resemble more a tradition than a text; they are blemished with imperfections), their literary influence has been vast, from Sappho and Greek tragedy to James Joyce's Ulysses and Derek Walcott's Homeros. What are the reasons for this enduring attraction? In this course we will explore the monumentality of these two poems -- less their quality as great works of literature than their role as cultural icons, as signifiers of value, and as landmarks in the evolving relationship between literature and culture. Both poems will be read selectively by way of background, but our main focus will be on Homer's place -- the very idea of Homer -- in the culture wars of early modernity, in the 19th century, and even today. The course will be a study in the intellectual and cultural history of value, and Homer will be our guide. Readings will sample ancient and modern authors, with selections from critics (Alcidamas, Plato, Aristotle, Swift, De Quincey, Lukacs, Auerbach, Bakhtin) to musicians (Wagner), philosophers (Plato, Vico, Hegel, Nietzsche), educators and politicians (Humboldt, Arnold, Kingsley, Gladstone), scholars (Wood, Lowth, Wolf, Parry), and finally archaeologists of the material past (Schliemann, Morris) and of the modern mind (Freud). Selected secondary readings will help provide background. In the last week we will look at the recent inflammatory pamphlet about the canon and the university, Who Killed Homer?

Syllabus