Reading the Iliad: Home

Class instructor:  Dana Oswald, Ph.D. , Department Chair and Professor of English Literature and Languages Department

Dana's research and instruction focuses on Old English and Middle English literature, medicine of Medieval Europe, and feminism.

She has recently published Conceiving Bodies: Reproduction in early Medieval English Medicine, Manchester University Press. [Link to book description]

• Phone: (262) 595-2507
• Email: oswald@uwp.edu

Class Schedule:

Classes will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the UW-Parkside Library on the following four Thursdays. Participants will read the sections before each class date and discuss the material in class. The Iliad is divided into 24 books.

Feb. 6                   Introduction [optional] plus Book One "The Quarrel"

Feb 20                 Books 2-8

March 6              Books 9-16

March 20            Books 17-24

Registration: If you would like to participate in the class, please register at this link: registration link

Participation: Class members should read the assigned material before each class and come prepared to discuss.

Location: UW-Parkside Library, Art in the Library Area, main floor.

Parking: Parking will be free on campus for participants. Please use the Rita Lot B or C Link to Parking Map

Cost: There is no cost for participation in this class, beyond the cost of purchasing your own book

Certification: Participants who attend and actively contribute to all four class sessions will receive a digital completion badge to display on social media, digital resumes, or other sites.

Translation used: The version of the Iliad used in this class will be the 2024 translation by Emily Wilson, published by W. W. Norton & Company. [link to Publisher listing]

Why this specific translation? The Wilson translation is a new, accessible text that reflects the evolution of language and translation in the several decades since the last major translation. Readers have changed, language has changed, translation has changed, and this work will speak to us in 2025. All class members reading the same translation is necessary for discussion.

Purchasing your book: Participants in the class are encouraged to purchase their own copy, paperback or hardcover, so they can underline, highlight, and note as necessary. We encourage you to purchase this book from a local bookstore such as Blue House Books in Kenosha,  the UW-Parkside Bookstore, or anywhere you'd like to purchase the book. Contact your bookstore before purchasing to be sure it is in stock. Bookstores can order the volume for you. You can also order it online. 

Bookshop.org allows you to find the book you want on their site and select your local bookstore. They will send you the book and the profit to your chosen bookstore. Blue House Books and Vintage and Modern Books [Racine] participate in bookshop.org. 

Cost: Hardcover books cost about $40, while paperbacks cost about $20 in most locations. If you would like to participate in the class and the cost of a book poses a financial hardship for you, let us know in the registration form and we will work to get a book for you.