Since it was first composed by Homer nearly 3,000 years ago, "The Odyssey" has been reimagined countless times. From Greek drama to contemporary poetry, from Stanley Kubrick to the Coen brothers, the epic saga of Odysseus' 10-year journey from the battle of Troy to his homeland of Ithaca has repeatedly been recontextualized and reinterpreted for changing times and new audiences. The latest version, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matt Damon, was released earlier this month and immediately dominated the box office.
Last spring, in anticipation of the release of Nolan's film, Yale's Benedek Kruchió taught a course tracing the history of these various re-imaginings. Called "Odyssean Receptions: A Journey Through the History of Literature and Film," the course considered Odysseus as "one of the defining characters of 'Western' culture."
