Is there anything I need to read before The Odyssey? I have never

Not really. You could read The Iliad for a bit of background, but the Odyssey stands on its own.

This is assuming you have at least a basic knowledge that Zeus is king, Athena is his loving daughter, etc.

The Iliad for sure.

>>8392921
Why didnt just google first before asking stupid question on an furry pedo board

Mythology, Mesopotamian lit (Gilgamesh), a book on the history of Greece and the illiad

>>8392921
Ulysses
>>8392955
>tfw no qt pubescent furry bf

>>8392971
This, you won't get the references to the myths, which are very abundant.

>>8392921
Other than the Iliad just read it and if you like it enough read supplemantary stuff.

>>8392955
I could google it, and I might even find a good answer by doing so. But /lit/ produces better answers, goes more in depth, dishes out multiple suggestions of interesting books, and sometimes tops it off with a meme. Fuck google, /lit/ is life.

>>8393003
This better become pasta.

File: 779807.jpg (20KB, 306x400px) Image search: [Google]

20KB, 306x400px

>>8392921
Great pop companion book that manages to hit most major scholarship. Somewhat dated

is that a good edition in the op?

>>8392921
No, not really. It stands alone.

If you're confused by the names of the gods and stuff, just look them up on wikipedia.

>>8393221
Oh SHIT I completely forgot to ask that too, yes- is there any edition in particular which is better than others? Sorry.

just read it u fucking ding dong its written in a way that a 12 yr old could understand

>>8392921
Literally 9th graders are force-fed this stuff universally.

You're gonna do just fine.

But really
>Edith Hamilton

>>8392921
Just have a basic understanding of greek mythology and history.

>>8392971
There is absolutely no reason to read Gilgamesh before Odyssey unless you just want to. The other two for sure though.

>>8393221
>>8394692

This is going to descend quickly into a bitch fest of different opinions, so I'll kick it off.

I think the Fagles edition in the OP is fine for someone coming to Homer for the first time and looking for a pleasureable read. It's not the most accurate, but it is close enough and is accessible. It moves quickly and is poetic enough. I like that it preserves the latinized names that we have received (Achilles rather than Akhilleus, or whatever the hell it is). Some will bitch and moan about it, but it is a fine version if you know no Greek.

I think Lattimore is considered most labouriously accurate, but I think all the fun of Homer and poetry is left out of it. Good if you are learning Homer's greek, less good if you read for pleasure.

I'd say avoid Fitzgerald, avoid Pope (beautiful though it is), and avoid Butler. I love love Chapman's translation, but it takes a lot more work to get through.

Fuck the haters and enjoy Fagles.

>>8394777
>not following the western canon in a chronological way
Faggot

>>8394787
What's wrong with Butler's edition? I already have his and would prefer to not have to get a different version, is it really that different?

Best Translations for Iliad and Odyssey?

>>8394796
this. still studying cave paintings here boys

>>8394796
>>8394900
What is the point of reading them in order?

>>8394903
well you can't understand a book by starting in the middle can you

>>8394910
The question was about the entire canon, not one book.

>>8394913
im saying that the canon is a big ol book and you have to read it all

>>8394864
In itself, nothing. It's a popular prose translation that has served many readers very well. If you have a copy already, read it and enjoy it. If you did not have a copy already, I would direct you to Fagles because it's in verse and for its ease and pleasure of reading. I said avoid Butler for several reasons, however. 1, because of its age and 2, because it is prose. Since OP stated a newness to the classics or epic poems or whatever, I thought a recent translation would serve him best. The standards of a "good" translation were different in 1900 and I personally find that the liberties that Fagles takes are acceptable. Further, since the discussion of "which translation is best" usually descends into petty insults, I wanted to state my preference unambiguously.

In the end the best translation is one that you will read and enjoy, whether verse or prose, accurate or liberal, new or old.

>>8394924
Thanks for the reply, I think I'm gonna take your advice and just stick with Butler for now. If I like The Odyssey (which I'm pretty sure I will) I think I'll try rereading it with some of the translations you suggested.