Reviews

The Odyssey

A queer take on the Dead White Male

By NINA MACLAUGHLIN | May 9, 2007

3.0 Stars

THE ODYSSEY: Davina Semo’s Book VI is a highlight.

As far as Dead White Males go, Homer ranks as grandfather to them all — the Odyssey remains a staple on Western Civ syllabi in colleges across the country. Andrea Lawlor and Bernadine Mellis tackle the story of Odysseus’s decade-long trip back to Ithaca after the Trojan War in the form of 24 short films by queer, trans, and women artists. The DWM institution doesn’t get subverted, exactly — the project follows a tradition of reinterpretation of the Odyssey. It just happens to be a more postmodern take than, say, Tennyson’s. The plot aligns with that of the epic, and helpful bits of text guide you from chapter to chapter. Davina Semo’s Book VI, when Odysseus encounters the virgin princess Nausikaa, is a highlight; Semo evokes a sexual mood with crude clay objects. Book X, when the crew get turned to swine, stands out for its painted wooden characters. There are some clunkers: Odysseus slaying the suitors, for example, is told by a woman sitting at a kitchen table.

Topics: Reviews , THE ODYSSEY , Andrea Lawlor , Bernadine Mellis

Comments

Add a Comment

ARTICLES BY NINA MACLAUGHLIN

GHOST WRITER | October 02, 2008
The haunted world of Kelly Link

LITERARY IMPORT | September 24, 2008
Ploughshares lands a new editor

HORSE FEATHERS | HOUSE WITH NO HOME | September 23, 2008
Kill Rock Stars (2008)

DAVID FOSTER WALLACE — 1962–2008 | September 26, 2008
Overhead baggage

HOOT AND CHALLAH | September 10, 2008
Silver Jews, Middle East Downstairs, September 5, 2008

See all articles by: NINA MACLAUGHLIN

Most Viewed

Most Emailed

BULL DISCLOSURE
As the candidates prep for the final debate, it’s a fitting time to ask: why do some journalistic conflicts of interest become scandals, while others get almost no attention at all?

ROLLED
Where’s the outrage over media mistreatment at the RNC?

SCHLEPPING FOR OBAMA
The Boston roots of Sarah Silverman's Jewbama crusade

HOT LOVE
Taste the flames inside Boston's secret world of fire artists

FINANCIAL FALLOUT
The devastating wall street crisis has a potential silver lining — if you’re a Massachusetts politician looking for a foothold

BULL DISCLOSURE
As the candidates prep for the final debate, it’s a fitting time to ask: why do some journalistic conflicts of interest become scandals, while others get almost no attention at all?

OLD TRICKSTER
At age 78, able-bodied Alan Abel’s life is still one big joke

SCHLEPPING FOR OBAMA
The Boston roots of Sarah Silverman's Jewbama crusade

FINANCIAL FALLOUT
The devastating wall street crisis has a potential silver lining — if you’re a Massachusetts politician looking for a foothold

HOT LOVE
Taste the flames inside Boston's secret world of fire artists

HOT TOPICS

Daniel Day-Lewis , Jack Black , Michael Clayton , Michael Haneke , Osama bin Laden , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Michael Jackson , Paris Hilton , Paul Thomas Anderson , Tommy Lee Jones

Reviews

The Odyssey

Religulous

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Miracle at St. Anna

Blindness

Light Reading