To the Editor:
Re “Nolan’s Zero-Eros ‘Odyssey,’” by Maureen Dowd (column, July 26):
Without disregarding the obvious cinematic values of Christopher Nolan’s “Odyssey,” Ms. Dowd faults the film for setting aside historical and cultural values that lie at the heart of the Homeric saga. Homer’s Odysseus, however, is less focused on quickly returning home than he is on deeply experiencing the world.
Over the centuries, Odysseus’ journey was not always viewed approvingly. In the 14th-century Italian Renaissance, for instance, his boundless curiosity — unchecked by spiritual constraints — ultimately consigns him to a place in Dante’s Inferno.
Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses” (the Latin version of Odysseus’s name, also used by Dante) offers an approving reappraisal of Odysseus. In it, the returned though continuously restless Greek hero relinquishes the throne of Ithaca to his son Telemachus in order to set out again into the world. Odysseus confesses that he “cannot rest from travel,” for his life is one long pursuit of knowledge, experience and the endless possibilities of the world.
The classic “Odyssey” is not merely the recounting of an adventure. It is a narrative pointing toward a new and deeper understanding of the profoundest human experiences — the pursuit of wisdom, knowledge and forgiveness. In other words, it’s about the journey, not the destination.
Larry Rubin New York
To the Editor:
Homer’s publicist, whose name has been lost to history, would be ecstatic over the coverage that his client’s “Odyssey” is receiving as a result of Christopher Nolan’s film. Most of the critical commentary comparing the film’s representation of Homer’s story with that rendered in the text (in various translations) has, however, ignored the basic and immutable difference between the two versions.
Viewers of the film passively experience the story; they might as well check their own imaginations at the door before they sit down to absorb Mr. Nolan’s version. But readers of the text (as well as those who listen to the poem being recited, whether by a live bard or an audiobook) are and always have been active participants; they must harness their own imaginations to visualize the people, places and events that Homer describes.
As it already has for over two millenniums, “The Odyssey” will continue to be experienced in the minds of countless people long after Mr. Nolan’s film has faded to black.
M.C. Lang Chevy Chase, Md.
To the Editor:
The movie would have been better if Matt Damon had uttered, after one of his overwhelming travails, “It’s not always good to be the king.” A moment of levity and respect for Mel Brooks would have been great.
Steven Goldberg Brooklyn
Retire and Volunteer
To the Editor:
Re “The Financial Road Ahead Depends on the Long View” (Sunday Business, July 26):
Most retirees I know give back to the local community; I am surprised that this option is not mentioned in the article.
Some retirees work with youths as tutors or with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Some support elderly residents, often by providing transportation. Some aid immigrant communities with language learning and translation.
Retirees often volunteer at museums, schools, libraries or the local hospital. Others volunteer at food pantries and soup kitchens, and still others become activists supporting vital public needs.
There is no shortage of ways retirees can and do give back to their communities. Please shine a spotlight on that welcome aspect of retirement.
Eileen Bach Ithaca, N.Y.
For the Love of Books
To the Editor:
Re “‘Every Book I Own, I Need’” (Sunday Styles, July 12):
I was charmed and delighted to read about Mendel Uminer’s books. I, too, have bookshelves in almost every room (unlike Mr. Uminer’s, my bathroom holds only one book at a time), and continually read and rearrange them to accommodate more.
I have a friend living in a rent-stabilized apartment in Manhattan who inherited books from her family and added them to her own library. She is feeling pressure from her landlord, who frequently asks her, “How’s the downsizing coming along?”
Books are heritage. For many people, books are our companions through life. I own books that my mother read to my brothers and me as children. When I enter someone’s home and see no books, my first thought is, “What’s wrong with this person?”
When Marie Kondo asks if these books bring me joy, my answer is yes. We are not hoarders. We are proud bibliophiles.
Christel Stevens University Park, Md.
The post Which Version of ‘The Odyssey’ Will You Experience? appeared first on New York Times.
