Undergraduate Course: Odysseys: Afterlives of Homer from Dante to the Present (CLGE10019)

Course Outline
School	School of History, Classics and Archaeology	College	College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate)	Availability	Available to all students
SCQF Credits	20	ECTS Credits	10
Summary	In the 21st century, is "the news in the Odyssey. . . still news," as poet Ezra Pound once claimed? Why does this work composed over two thousand years ago continue to capture our imagination, and how have the Odyssey's readers (and writers) changed over time? To what uses has this ancient story been put, and can a work as canonical as the Odyssey offer alternative or subversive cultural narratives?
Course description	Though we start with some key earlier texts (e.g., Dante and Tennyson), this course primarily traces the modern and contemporary afterlives of Homer's Odyssey: from James Joyce's Ulysses to Derek Walcott's Omeros to Margaret Atwood's Penelopiad and Alice Oswald's Nobody. We will be reading highlights of modernist writing of epic ambitions in both prose and poetry as well as playful, multi-generic postmodernist appropriations, and thinking about how writers like Phoebe Giannisi, Zachary Mason, or Daniel Mendelsohn 'live' in the Odyssean world even while making it their own. Is there something about the Odyssey itself that invites such varied reworkings? In addition to formal and thematic appropriations, we will also be considering the political, cultural, and ideological work that Odyssey-based texts perform, zooming in on their historical contexts of production, from Ireland to modern Greece to the Caribbean. Finally, we will also be critically considering theoretical issues surrounding translation, adaptation, and classical reception. Some familiarity with the Odyssey is assumed, but there will be many opportunities to revisit the Homeric work throughout the course. Though this is primarily a literature course, visual art will also be discussed and course materials/readings may be supplemented by film screenings.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	The course is available to all students who have progressed to Honours.

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics, History or Archaeology (at least 1 of which should be in Classical Literature) at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses. as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course
High Demand Course?	Yes

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)		Quota: 0
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Exam: Two-hour written examination (50%) Coursework: 3000 word coursework project, which may be a creative project accompanied by a critical commentary (50%)
Feedback	Students are expected to discuss their coursework with the Course Organiser at least once prior to submission, and are encouraged to do so more often. Meetings can take place with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment. Students will also receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)			120

Academic year 2026/27, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)		Quota: 2
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Exam: Two-hour written examination (50%) Coursework: 3000 word coursework project, which may be a creative project accompanied by a critical commentary (50%)
Feedback	Students are expected to discuss their coursework with the Course Organiser at least once prior to submission, and are encouraged to do so more often. Meetings can take place with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment. Students will also receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser.
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: identify uses of Homeric material in a range of later literature and art and critically and comparatively analyse those uses. understand, evaluate, and analyse a range of modern sources, primary and secondary, orally (in class) and in writing demonstrate a critical awareness, orally (in class) and in writing of the broader aesthetic, intellectual, or political importance and context of modern and contemporary Odyssey adaptations. extend their knowledge of Greek culture into the modern-day period through the study of modern and contemporary Greek authors. demonstrate a reasoned understanding of the theory and practice of Reception Studies.

Reading List
Atwood, M. (2005), Penelopiad Giannisi, Ph. (2009), Homerica Glück, L. (1996), Meadowlands H.D. (wr. 1959), Winter Love Joyce, J. (1922), Ulysses (selections) Kazantzakis, N. (1938), The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel (selections) Kossman, N., ed. (2001), Gods and Mortals: Modern Poems on Classical Myths Mason, Z. (2007), The Lost Books of the Odyssey Mendelsohn, D. (2017), An Odyssey (selections) Oswald, A. (2019), Nobody Ritsos, G. (1991 tr.), Repetitions, Testimonies, Parentheses Seferis, G. (1935), Mythistorema Smith, A. (2016) Autumn Steiner, G., ed. (1996), Homer in English Walcott, D. (1990), Omeros (selections)

Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills	1. Ability to read and synthesize complex, wide-ranging, diverse material 2. Ability to process complex material and to develop a coherent arguments in clear analytical prose 3. Ability to analyse, assimilate and deploy critically a range of secondary literature 4. Ability to discuss ideas and insights respectfully and attentively with peers
Keywords	Not entered