The Irreverent Classics Study Guide: The Odyssey

A Hero. A Sea. An Annotation. An Epic Worth Studying.

Homer's Odyssey has been required reading for three thousand years for good reason. It has monsters, gods, shipwrecks, sorcery, and a man who takes ten years to make a trip that should take two weeks.

Why did nobody mention the Sirens in advance? What exactly was Odysseus doing at Circe's island for a full year? And was the Cyclops situation really unavoidable?

This study edition pairs Butler's complete, unabridged translation with chapter-by-chapter questions designed for middle and high school readers — challenging enough to provoke real thought, irreverent enough to make the epic feel alive.

96 discussion questions. 24 books. One very long voyage home.