Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas 297 | Emily Wilson on Homer, Poetry, and Translation
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Nov 25, 2024 
Emily Wilson, a Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, is celebrated for her translations of Homer’s epics. In this conversation, she explores the complexities and nuances of translating The Iliad and The Odyssey. Topics include the evolution of these tales from oral to written form, the impact of translation on identity, and the emotional depth achieved through storytelling. Wilson also discusses the significance of the divine in human experience within the texts, and the artistic challenges translators face in capturing their essence.
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Homer's Authorship
- Homer wasn't an author like Jane Austen, as they didn't create characters and stories from scratch.
- They used pre-existing oral traditions about Troy, heroes like Odysseus and Achilles, and dactylic hexameter.
Timeline of Ancient Works
- The Homeric poems predate Plato and Aristotle by centuries.
- Plato and Aristotle, in turn, predate Jesus and the Roman Empire.
Homer: One Person or Many?
- Some scholars believe a single person compiled the poems, or that "Homer" was the last in the oral tradition before writing.
- The poems' length suggests they were composed for the new technology of writing.
