Review by Choice Review
Though Alexander (freelance writer) aims this well-written book at general readers, she includes brief discussions of technical issues such as history, archaeology, and linguistics, with frequent footnotes pointing to more detailed accounts. However, her chief goal is to discover "what the Iliad says of war." Indeed, by focusing on the character of Achilles and posing questions such as "who is the real enemy?" and "what is the point of (this) war?" she succeeds in making the ancient epic completely relevant for readers only too familiar with current wars. Chapter headings are suggestive: "The Things They Carried" alludes, of course, to Tim O'Brien's book of the same title about the Vietnam War. In a chapter titled "In God We Trust," the author deals sensitively with the soldier's need on the battlefield to believe, however futilely, in something greater than oneself. Chapter 9, "The Death of Hektor," is simply Alexander's own translation of book 22 of the Iliad, which, she says, is "too perfect to be fragmented by commentary." The final chapter, "Everlasting Glory," deals with the aftermath of war, particularly the aspect of futility. Alexander concludes with a paradox: "A hero will have no recompense for death, although he may win glory." Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. G. D. Bird Gordon College (MA)
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
The epic that launched a thousand term papers, The Iliad receives a variegated critique from Alexander, the popular author who remarks here that Homer led her to become a classicist. Rereading her inspiration, Alexander incorporates her interpretations of The Iliad's main characters into her summary of the plot, which culminates in the cathartic contest between Achilles and Hektor. Alexander's purpose in doing so is to crystallize The Iliad's main idea war's devastation which she indicates gets lost in the epic's dazzling literary elements, such as epithets ( fleet-footed Achilles ), interventions of the gods, battle scenes, and so forth. To restore centrality to the main idea, Alexander distinguishes passages that emphasize the disgust of major characters such as Achilles and Hektor with the ostensible objective of the Trojan War, the possession of Helen yet they fight on. Alexander's perceptiveness about attitudes and motives primes us for the death of Hektor, a scene whose power of desolation she releases in a verbatim reprinting from the Richmond Lattimore translation. That curriculum classic will surely be sought by readers of Alexander's informed and discerning commentary.--Taylor, Gilbert Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Alexander, a professional writer who has been published in Granta, The New Yorker, and National Geographic, holds a Ph.D. in classics from Columbia University. Her new book explores her deep fascination with Homer's Iliad. Essentially, she offers an extended discussion of the plot, elaborating and contextualizing it by reference to extant fragments from other epics and other ancient texts and archaeological and historical evidence. She also relates the resonances of The Iliad in the modern world, from Muhammad Ali's refusal to serve in the Vietnam War to the account of an American war widow responding to the death of her husband in Iraq. Verdict Alexander's book is vigorous and deeply learned yet unpedantic. Highly recommended to general readers interested in a full appreciation of the power and the enduring relevance of The Iliad.-T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong Atlantic State Univ., Savannah, GA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
