How to Understand and Enjoy Greek Literature by Madison Levinson

Greek literature can be very difficult to read and therefore even more difficult to enjoy. Recently, in class, we read The Iliad by Homer. Although we did not read the entire epic, the books we did read of it were frustrating to understand and unpleasant to sit down and read. This left many people procrastinating reading it and put off the reflection questions until the night it was due. Students were scrambling for important quotes and asking others for their interpretations of the text. However, using the rest of this article on how to understand Greek literature, this last minute fright will be a thing of the past...almost as far in the past as the literature you will be reading!

Homer, author of The Iliad 

Since I have personally read The Iliad I will use that epic as an explanation for all of my tips and tricks. But first I will provide a brief explanation of The Iliad for those who have not read it, I wouldn't want anybody to be lost in an article about not getting lost while reading a text!

The Iliad was composed around 800-725 BC, and written by Homer anytime from 725-625 BC. The Iliad is the story of the final weeks of the Trojan war and the Greek siege of the city of Troy. The text follows characters such as Achilles, Agamemnon, Hector, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Hera. The Trojans and Greeks were fighting because Helen of Troy ran away with Paris, leaving the Trojan King with no wife, locking Troy and Greece into a war of seemingly no end. The poem follows the warriors and their decisions with the influence of the Gods while also teaching valuable lessons to the reader. So how did I figure out all of this information from the impossible epic? Well I am here to show you.

Step 1: Know who's who

An artist rendition of Helen of Troy, the cause of the Trojan War

The first step to understanding any difficult literature is understanding who you will be reading about. In The Iliad there were countless characters to keep track of and various spellings and nicknames for everybody. At the beginning of the book I made a character outline of each person and their relationship to one another as well as if they were Greek or Trojan. For example, Achilles, the Greek, was a warrior who hated the Trojan, Hector, for the murder of Patroklos, the best friend of Achilles. This connects three seemingly random characters to one another and explain their interactions with one another. Keep this character chart with you at all times to refer back to and refresh your memory.

Step 2: Know what you are reading

The second step to understanding difficult literature is to understand what you are actually reading. In The Iliad there are numerous rants and descriptions that can get somewhat lengthy and confusing. Often, I didn't know where the description ended and the actual story began. To prevent this confusion, it is beneficial to read a short summary of the story, like Spark Notes or Cliff Notes. By reading a summary of Spark Notes and then going back and reading the actual literature I had an idea of the chronological order of the story. Any interjections or descriptions were clear as to their end point and I was clear when the actual story picked up again.

Step 3: Do not focus too hard

The third step to understanding difficult literature is not to get caught up on all of the little details. In The Iliad it can be hard not to focus on every little word or every little sentence. It seems like every letter is somehow significant or meaningful. Greek literature is in fact no different than literature we read today. When reading a book do you take notes on every sentence and remember every line of dialogue? So why should you have to for Greek literature? There are often frivolous rants a character will have with themselves, gods, or other mortals. Not all of these sentences are important and necessary to the development of the story. Approach Greek literature as you would any other text and just read, don't worry about a sentence that may seem vague or obscure.

Greek literature does not have to be frustrating and difficult. The story lines are often full of plot twists and dynamic relationships between characters, making it an overall fascinating read. With these tips any reader can find the excitement in Greek culture and classics.

Summer Book Summary and review 11/22/63 Review By Madison Levinson

    11/22/63 is a novel by the author Stephen King, published November 8, 2011. It follows the story of Jake Epping, a high school English teacher and his journey in time, back to 1958. Jake single-handedly is responsible for the prevention of the murder of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. During his grand expedition to the past, Jake is responsible for the prevention of a small-town murder and the assassination of the President of the United States. Jake also falls in love with Sadie Dunhill, a teacher from the past. The book totals to 849 pages.

Cover of the novel 11/22/63 by Stephen King 

The first approximate 200 pages of the book consist of Jake learning about the ability to time travel and debating whether he should spend his life in the past to prevent the assassination of the president. The last approximate 200 pages consist of:  Sadie dying; Jake travelling back to a dystopian present; Jake returning to the past to reverse everything; Jake then travelling back to a "normal" future, and finally Jake dancing with Sadie now an old woman with nothing but a vague memory of the teacher's name. The beginning was too long and the end was too hokey.

In all, the first and last 200 pages are long and far-fetched while the middle 449 pages could sufficiently be the entire book. The middle contains a thrilling love story and suspense filled drama about love, loss and sacrifice. A reasonable length story a reader will want to sit down and enjoy without boredom or disbelief.

A picture from the show 11/22/63 showing Jake Epping,
played by James Franco, and Sadie Dunhill, played by Sarah Gadon

The book is well written, as expected from the famous author. The plot of the story twists and turns, revealing new truths and hiding other elements. 11/22/63 is in no way a quick or easy read, it involves time and energy to read, a real investment for any reader. Not only will the reader become invested in the story line but the characters. Tears will be shed and yelling in frustration is not uncommon. Stephen King is infamous for his grasp on the concept of horror in his other works such as It, The Shining, and Misery.  In 11/22/63, King       delivers a different concept with less horror and more history meets science fiction. This is very unlike Kings usual writing persona.

Overall 11/22/63 is a brilliant idea by a brilliant author executed near perfectly. The story of Jake Epping, his love, and his task would have been better delivered in a more condensed novel or over a series of books as to not bore the reader with so much empty scenes and hard to grasp details. Stephen King delivers a historical science fiction novel story line with success but fails to make every aspect of the book relevant and interesting. 11/22/63 is a brilliant idea that was not brilliantly executed.