The Iliad, or the Poem of Force | Episode XXI

Send us Fan Mail“The true hero, the true subject, the center of the Iliad is force,” wrote Simone Weil. And yet, she said that Homer’s poem is “the purest and loveliest of mirrors.” How can a poem that revels in the visceral description of death and that chronicles the destruction of a great city be so pure and lovely? Jonathan and Ryan take a look into this epic mirror and into Weil’s justly famous essay on it.Simone Weil’s The Iliad, or the Poem of Force (free English translation): http://biblio3.url.edu.gt/SinParedes/08/Weil-Poem-LM.pdfSimone Weil’s The Iliad, or the Poem of Force (bilingual French-English critical edition): https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780820463612Homer’s Iliad: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780374529055Aeschylus' Oresteia: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780140443332Sophocles' Theban Plays: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780156027649Ovid’s Metamorphoses: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780156001267Virgil’s Aeneid: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780553210415New Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.comSupport the show