The Odyssey Books 23-24 with Dr. Justin Jackson and Dr. Benedict Whalen
About this episode
The episode concludes a 12-week study of the Odyssey, focusing on Books 23-24 with insights from Dr. Justin Jackson and Dr. Benedict Whalen.
Today, we end our 12-week study of the Odyssey with a discussion on Books 23-24 with Dr. Justin Jackson and Dr. Benedict Whalen of Hillsdale College alongside host, Dcn. Harrison Garlick. There is yelling, laughter, cursing, and general chaos--but more of Homer's truth is unearthed in the process. Check out our ONLINE LIBRARY for resources on the great books. Check out Dr. Justin Jackson's Substack working through the Bible. Check out Dr. Justin Whalen at Hillsdale College . The long-awaited homecoming unfolds with Odysseus and Penelope's emotional reunion, the famous test of the immovable olive-tree bed, and the climactic confrontation with the suitors' vengeful families. The conversation crackles with insight as the guests unpack Penelope's cunning, Odysseus' complex character, parallels to Achilles and Heracles, and the poem's meditation on fidelity, mortality, justice, and the costs of homecoming. Dr. Jackson brings contrarian fire—challenging heroic ideals, celebrating the domestic, and wrestling openly with whether Odysseus' reckoning is justice or raw revenge—while Dr. Whalen offers sharp textual observations on themes of rootedness, temptation, and the poem's unresolved…
More episodes of Ascend - The Great Books Podcast
- NEW BOOK: The American Odyssey with Dr. Patrick Deneen
- The Odyssey Book 22 with Dr. Alex Priou
- The Odyssey Books 20-21 with Thomas Lackey and Dr. Grabowski
- The Odyssey Books 17-19 with Dr. Frank Grabowski
- The Odyssey Books 15-16 with Jack Drury and Dr. Grabowski
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