Emily Wilson's Translation Of Homer's The Odyssey Gets Destroyed By Classics Expert After Librarian Brags It's "Gone Woke"

A recent translation of The Odyssey by Homer went viral because the translator, Emily Wilson, attempted to modernize the epic poem and turn it into woke content.

Originally promoted by an X account that goes by Librarian Mama, Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey came to the internet’s attention with a viral post. The account posted, “‘Oh, you've never read The Odyssey???’ Your timing is perfect. Emily Wilson's translation is the best one in literally ages, has that sweet iambic pentameter to give it a ‘bouncy’ feel, & makes dudebros cry that the classic has ‘gone woke’.”

The bragging about a version that turns the classic woke drew the attention of many. Librarian Mama went on in a threat to talk about how it makes it easier to read for new people, in an apparent argument that dumbing down classic literature is the way to reach a modern generation.

Ascend: The Great Books Podcast took exception with the translation and pointed out why it’s flawed with comparisons to other translations. He made a thread saying he does not recommend Emily Wilson.

With this, the podcast posted a comparison in different translations of The Odyssey for comparison to how Wilson guts the work. The post included Robert Fitzgerald, T.E. Lawrence, and Robert Fagles in side-by-side comparisons.

While even Fagles, who the podcast recommends for first-time readers, shortens the text, Emily Wilson’s version is so sparse and bare-boned it gives nothing of the feel of an epic.

The Ascend podcast also pointed out a review of Wilson by Compact Magazine’s Valerie Stitvers, who said, “‘The inconsistencies in Wilson’s forced characterizations create cognitive dissonance.’ Wilson herself has been quoted as saying that she is ‘making visible the cracks in the patriarchal fantasy.’”

Red flags are apparent when talking about the patriarchal fantasy in terms of a classic work of fiction, especially one that features epic male protagonists in a way modern literature never captures. Trying to remove that is not making a translation, but instead, inserting the translator’s modern politics into the center of the work and rewriting it.

Ascend also points out Spencer Klavan’s review of her work, “‘But Wilson’s version saps the marrow and vigor from the words.’ ‘Wilson’s Iliad is so deflated that it’s hard to tell what Homer’s characters are fighting for.’”

He concludes by urging readers to spend their time wisely, saying, “We only have a certain amount of time to read, and we want to use that time to read great books. And if we are going to take the time to read great books, we need great translations that pass along the wisdom of the ancients. Use Fagles or Lattimore. Not Wilson's.”

It’s clear that Emily Wilson’s translation is an attempt to change Homer’s work and not actually to do honor to it. Part of the woke ideology is about erasing history and creating their own out of it, which is why the ideology fails and doesn’t ring true.

What do you think of Emily Wilson’s The Odyssey translation in a viral discussion? Leave a comment and let us know.

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