Odysseus tied to his ship's mast to resist the song of the Sirens, depicted on an Attic red-figure stamnos from Vulci (480-450 BCE).
© The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
The Odyssey
Reading an ancient epic in a modern world
Before this summer’s film adaptation, return to the original epic.
Program Details
This seminar invites students to explore Homer's Odyssey through close reading, historical context, and discussion. Together, we'll read one of the foundational works of world literature and ask why it continues to matter today.
SUMMER ODYSSEY PROGRAMS
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Teen Great Books Seminar, Online
Tuesdays OR Thursdays in August
Dates: Tuesday August 4, 11, 18, 25; Thursday August 6, 13, 20, 27
Meeting length: 75 minutes
Format: Live Online Seminar (Zoom)
Time: 4:00 - 5:00 PM EDT
Ages: 13–17
Tuition: $250*
Enrolment: Limited to 8 students
*Register with a friend and save $20 each. Limited to one pair of registrations only. -
Adult Great Books Seminar, Online
Tuesdays OR Saturdays in August
Dates: Tuesday August 11, 18, 25; Saturday August 1, 8, 15
Meeting length: 90 minutes
Format: Live Online Seminar (Zoom)
Time: Tuedays 8:00 - 9:30 PM EDT; Saturdays 10:00 - 11:30 AM EDT
Ages: 18+
Tuition: $250*
Enrolment: Limited to 8 students
*Register with a friend and save $20 each. Limited to one pair of registrations only. -
In-Person Salon
Location TBD
Dates: Friday, July 31st
Meeting length: 120 minutes
Format: Live In-Person Seminar
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 PM EDT
Ages: All Ages
Tuition: $80*
Enrolment: Limited to 8 students
*Register with a friend and save $20 each. Limited to one pair of registrations only.
Seminar Outline
Rather than a fixed lecture sequence, each Stone & Margin Odyssey seminar is shaped by the group, the format, and the time we have together. Across the teen seminar, adult seminar, and in-person salon, we may explore questions such as:
Homer, epic poetry, and the ancient Mediterranean
How does an ancient oral poem ask to be read today?
Hospitality, strangers, and monsters
What makes someone civilized? What makes someone dangerous?
Temptation, transformation, and survival
How do Odysseus and his companions respond to enchantment, fear, and desire?
Homecoming and identity
What does it mean to return home after a long absence?
Penelope, disguise, and recognition
How does the poem think about intelligence, loyalty, and being known?
Why The Odyssey still matters
What can this ancient poem still teach us about storytelling, memory, and human experience?
About Victoria
Led by Victoria, certified teacher, university instructor, and PhD candidate in Roman History. Through Stone & Margin, Victoria helps students become stronger readers, writers, and thinkers through close engagement with texts, history, and ideas.