The Iliad

Author: Homer
Translated by: Samuel Butler
Year: ~750 BC
pages: 391

COMPOSITE SCORE: 55

BS ratings:

Novelty--6 This is apparently one of the first epic stories written and certainly the most popular epic in Western Civilization throughout the past two thousand years. It does not receive a higher score because Homer is only considered the author because he wrote the story down. It had already existed as a spoken legend.

Literary Legacy--10 This urbook becomes influential for most ancient writings that followed it. It has been also a standard in the studies of classics for some time exposing countless authors to the epic storyline and heroic archetypes.

Overall Legacy--8 The Iliad became the book that standardized the Greek language in the same way that the Luther Bible did for German. The story became a way for the ancient, and later modern, scholars to learn the Greek language. The popularity of this written dialect helps form a Greek identity.

Substance--6 War and its strain on the combatants whether they are defending their homeland or are far away from home fighting for others. Paying due homage to the gods to ensure their help. And showing proper respect to friends and foes because of their counsel and good deeds.

Rhetoric--5 Homer communicates the sense of a siege and battle pretty well. Homer attributes the failures and successes of those involved to the actions and inaction of the gods; and therefore by extension, to the heroes who had either failed to make due respect or offered up the correct sacrifices.

Precision-- 3 The majority of the book was spent describing the battles and the fighting. These scenes were practically indistinguishable from one another. A smaller part of the book was dedicated to the substance of the story with the rest being more of a log of fighting that eventually became boring.

Readability-- 4 The book had conflict to drive the story but it could have been told much quicker and it got bogged down. There was a large number of place and people names that were only mentioned once and without reference to anything significant in the story.

Mechanics-- 5 Translations of poems tend to turn into prose for readability's sake but they lose their rhythm and energy. The Iliad is probably a much more impressive book read in its original Greek. We are left with repetitive sentence structure that lacks vitality and the forward movement that a poem provides.

Emotion-- 5 It was difficult to become engaged emotionally with the book until the last chapter. This was dedicated to Hector's funeral and his family mourning his death in battle. It became the end of the story rather than the Greeks conquering Troy to my own surprise. It punctuated the respect given to him throughout the book.

Practicality-- 3 After reading battle scene after battle scene that just seemed unrealistic, I had to score it low.