Painful Signs: 83 Posts ‘Introducing’ the Iliad

When I started posting on the Iliad last year, I was a bit unsure I would finish the project of a few posts per book, designed both for first time and experienced readers of the Iliad. Once I finished the project in April, this year, I found myself a little worn out and at a loss about what to do next. I am happy with my plan to post less, but to emphasize new or less well-known scholarship on the poem. But I also don’t want to just abandon 83 posts!

I was chatting with my friend (and fellow Homerist) Justin Arft last week and he compared Painful Signs (favorably) to introductory books on epic and suggested I could repackage this project as a book. This compliment made me remember that books can be a pain and that they can’t be updated easily. Also, I wanted this project to be open and available to anyone interested in the Iliad.

This post provides a (somewhat) stable table of contents for the substack posts.

Introductory Material

1. All the (Epic) Rage: Free Tools for Reading Homer’s Iliad
2. Polysymphonic: How to Listen to Homer
3. The Plan, and Imperfect Translations: What the substack is for and how it will proceed
4. 99 Homeric Problems: On the ‘Homeric Question’ and other similar issues
5. Reading and Teaching Homer: Some practical advice on encountering Homer alone or in the classroom
6. Major Themes for Reading and Teaching the Iliad: A summary of five themes emphasized in the substack: (1) Politics, (2) Heroism; (3) Gods and Humans); (4) Family & Friends; (5) Narrative Traditions.

Iliad 1

1. The Politics of Rage: Some Reading Guidelines for Iliad 1: Politics
2. Speaking of Centaurs: Paradeigmatic Problems in Iliad 1: On paradeigmata in book 1 and the Iliad
3. Prophet of Evils: Reading Iphigenia Into and Out of the Iliad: A first post on the Iliad’s relationship with other myths

Iliad 2

1. From Poetics to Politics: Repairing Achaean Politics in Book 2 of the Iliad: Introduction to Iliad 2, the Diapeira and the Catalog of Ships
2. Thersites’ Body: Description, Characterization, and Physiognomy in Iliad 2: Disability Studies and Homer; Politics

Iliad 3

1. (Re-)Starting the Trojan War: Iliad 3 and Helen as Our Guide: the Iliad and narrative traditions; Helen and the teikhoskopia
2. Heroic Appearances: Or, What Did Helen Look Like?: Physiognomy, part 2; Helen; Beauty
3. Suffering So Long for this Woman!: Various Ancient Attitudes towards Helen: More On Helen
4. Long Ago, Far Away: The Iliad and the So-Called Epic Cycle After the Canon: The Epic Cycle, Neoanalysis, Star Wars, and Homer

Iliad 4

1. Backing Up the Future: Characterization and Rivalry in Iliad 4: The Epipolesis, Agamemnon, and Rivalry
2. Better than our Fathers!: Theban Epic Fragments and the Homeric Iliad: Inter-mythical rivalries; Agamemnon, Diomedes and Glaukos; Book 4

Iliad 5

1. Seeing (and Wounding) the Gods: Reading Iliad 5: On Theomachy, Homeric Gods, Aristeia, and Diomedes as a character
2. Two Ways to Decline Zeus: Paradigm, Text, and Story in Iliad 5: Dione’s story in Iliad 5; Homeric Language, previous myths; paradeigmata again

Iliad 6

1. Structure and Stories: Reading Iliad 6: Killings and Homeric ‘obituaries’; the structure of Book 6
2. War Crimes: Iliad 6, Infanticide, and the Mykonos Vase: Homeric Violence; Child killing; enslavement; sexual violence
3. Mind Reading and Stolen Wits: The Encounter of Diomedes and Glaukos in Iliad 6

Iliad 7

1. Divine Plots and Human Plans: Reading Iliad 7: Homeric decision making and free will (“double determination”)
2. Erasing the Past: The Achaean Wall and Homeric Fame: Time and permanence in Homer; The Greek Fortifications and Fame
3. Give Helen Back!: Trojan Politics in Book 7 of the Iliad: Trojan Politics and the assemblies of Book 7

Iliad 8

1. Tyranny and the Plot: Introducing Iliad 8: Zeus’ control over the plot of the poem; performance divisions for the epic
2. Wishing the Impossible: Hektor in Iliad 8: Hektor’s character in the Iliad (part 1)
3. Stranded in Iliad 8 with Nestor and Diomedes: On Reading the Iliad and Neoanalysis: Neoanalysis and other models for reading the Iliad

Iliad 9

1. Life, Death, and all the Words Between: Iliad 9 and the Language of Achilles: Achilles: Character Language; Heroism
2. Two Is Company! The Duals of Iliad 9 and Homeric Interpretation: Duals; Homeric Innovation and traditional language
3. Achilles Sings the Hero Within: Stories and Narrative Blends in Iliad 9: Paradeigmata, again; cognitive approaches to reading the Iliad

Iliad 10

1. Night Raids and Gimmick Episodes: Learning to Love Iliad 10: The Doloneia and the authenticity of Book 10; ‘Gimmick Episodes’; Television and Homer
2. Homeric Redshirts and Iliad 10: Introducing Dolon: Dolon as a character; throwaway figures; physiognomy, again; Television and Homer
3. Dolon and Achilles; Dolon AS Achilles: Politics and Iliad 10: Trojan Politics, redux; Correlations between Achilles and Dolon

Iliad 11

1. Time, Feet, and Serious Wounds: Starting to Read Iliad 11: “Monro’s law”; Diomedes’ Foot wound
2. The Beginning of His Trouble: Characterizing Achilles in Iliad 11
3. Insidious Inception?: Nestor’s Speech to Patroklos in Iliad 11: Homeric Rhetoric; Persuasion; Paradeigmata, again

Iliad 12

1. Looking Up and Out: Starting to Read Iliad 12: The Achaean Wall, again; Kleos; Impermanence; Bird Omens; Hektor and Polydamas; “Don’t Look Up!”
2. Why Must We Fight and Die?: Reading Sarpedon’s Speech to Glaukos in Iliad 12: Heroism; Noblesse Oblige; Kleos
3. Scarcity and the Iliad: Thinking about Similes in Book 12: Similes in Homer; Cognitive models for reading, 2

Iliad 13

1. The Iliad‘s Longest Day: Starting to Make Sense of Book 13: Time and the Iliad; Temporal Structure; Chronology
2. Epic Narratives and their Local Sidekicks: On Cretans in Iliad 13: Epic, epichoric, and Panhellenic; Crete
3. A Heroic Tale Curtailed: Homeric Digressions and Iliad 13: Digressions/paranarratives or inset tales; Idomeneus; Kassandra

Iliad 14

1. What A Dangerous Thing to Say! Politics and Absurdity in Iliad 14: Dios Apate seduction of Zeus); Politics; Diomedes
2. Where Did Homeric Book Divisions Come From? Thinking about the thematic Unity of book 14: Book divisions, Homeric performance; textualization
3. Falling Asleep after Sex and Other Cosmic Problems: The Seduction of Zeus in Iliad 14: The Dios Apate; the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite

Iliad 15

1. Zeus and ‘Righting’ the Divine Constitution: An Introduction to Reading Iliad 15: Divine Politics and Homeric Gods; Hesiod’s Theogony
2. Brothers, Sisters, Wives, and Divine (Dis)Order: Setting things Straight in Iliad 15: Homeric gods; Zeus and Poseidon; Successions; Politics
3. The Powerful Mind of Zeus: Revitalizing Hektor and the Iliad‘s Plot: Hektor, Zeus, and the Plot of the Iliad

Iliad 16

1. There’s Plenty of Crying in Epic: Introducing Book 16: Achilles and Patroklos (Patrochilles); surrogacy
2. Even Zeus Suffers: The Death of Sarpedon and the Beginning of Universal Human Rights: Death and Funeral rites; Mortals and gods
3. Merely the Third To Kill Me: Hektor, Patroklos, and the End of Iliad 16: Apostrophe; prophecy; narrative traditions

Iliad 17

1. Rescuing the Bod(ies): Thinking about the Epic Cycle, Neoanalysis, and Introducing Iliad17: The Epic Cycle, again. Neoanalysis reanalyzed
2. A Doublet Disposed: Time Travel Paradoxes and the Death of Euphorbus: Time travel and Homer; Television and Homer, again; “All You Zombies”; Digressions
3. Always Second Best (Or Worst): Characterizing Hektor in Iliad 17: Hektor; Warrior prowess;  poinê (payback)

Iliad 18

1. Things to Do in Ilium When You’re Dead: Introducing Iliad 18: Chronology, again; Achilles’ first lament; Burden on the earth; the Kypria (Cypria)
2. The Personal Political: Hektor, Polydamas, and Trojan Politics in Iliad 18: Characterizing Hektor, again; Trojan Politics (Re)redux; Character speech
3. The Power to Control the World: Achilles’ Shield and Homeric Ekphrasis: Ecphrasis; Achilles’ Shield; “Willow”; Palazzo Pubblico; Hesiodic Aspis

Iliad 19

1. People Are Going to Tell Our Story: Introducing Iliad 19: Paradeigmata, again; cognitive approaches to reading, again; Achilles and Agamemnon; Politics
2. That Other Me: Achilles’ Lament for Patroklos in Iliad 19: Achilles and Patroklos, again; Achilles’ Second Lament; Surrogacy; Cognitive approaches to reading, again; Briseis
3. Dead and Gentle Forever: Briseis’ Lament for Patroklos in Iliad 19: Briseis; Laments; Scholia; Patroklos

Iliad 20

1. Concerns For Those About To Die: Introducing Iliad 20: Zeus; Gods and humans; Zeus’s will
2. Spears and Stones will Break Your Bones But Words Will Always Shape You: Aeneas’ Speech to Achilles in Iliad 20: Flyting; Insults; Aeneas and Achilles
3. The Gamemaster’s Anger and Fear: Homeric Contrafactuals and Rescuing Aeneas: Counter-to-fact statements in Homer; Batman; Zeus and the Plot of the Iliad; Aeneas

Iliad 21

1. What Do You Do With a Problem Like Achilles? Introducing Iliad 21: Achilles; Sacrifice; narrative judgment
2. You’re Gonna Die Too, Friend: Achilles’ Speech to Lykaon in Iliad 21: Achilles and Lykaon; Surrogacy; Death; Gilgamesh and Iliad
3. They’re Just Not That Into Us: On Mortals and Gods in Iliad 21: Gods and mortals; Cosmic history; Hesiod

Iliad 22

1. Hektor’s Body and the Burden: Introducing Iliad 22: Trauma and Homer; Characterizing Hektor, again; Fight or Flight
2. Laying My Burdens Down: Hektor Sweet-talks Achilles in Iliad 22: Hektor and Achilles; The Lions of Al-Rassan;  PTSD
3. A New Widow and Her Orphan: Andromache’s Lament for Hektor in Iliad 22: Women in Homer; Andromache; Laments; Astyanax; PTSD; Trauma

Iliad 23

1. That Mare is Mine! Introducing Iliad 23: Funeral games; Politics; Athletic Contests
2. Rage Won’t Raise the Dead: The Ghost of Patroklos in Iliad 23: Achilles and Patroklos, again; tragedy; peripeteia
3. Achilles’ Wicked Deeds: Framing Human Sacrifice in Iliad 23: Human sacrifice; grief; death

Iliad 24

1. Disfiguring the Fallow Earth: Introducing Iliad 24: Divine Politics; the trial of Achilles; Apollo; Hesiod’s Theogony
2. “As If He Were Going to His Death”: Priam and Katabasis in Iliad 24: Katabasis; Ransom; Structural echoes; Hermes and Orphism
3. “Blow Up Your TV”: Thetis, Achilles, and Life and Death in Iliad 24: Thetis and grief; Gilgamesh; John Prine
4. Priam And Achilles, Pity and Fear: A ‘tragic’ end to Homer’s Iliad: Cognitive approaches to Homer; Tragedy and Epic; Aristotle
5. Starving Then Stoned: Achilles’ Story of Niobe in Iliad 24: Paradeigmata, again; cognitive approaches to reading
6. “Better off Dead”: Helen’s Lament for Hektor in Iliad 24: Laments; Praise; Memory; Helen
7. The Burial of Horse-Taming Hektor: Ending the Iliad: Hektor; Aithiopis; Ending Epic; Ibycus; Pindar; Kleos