This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit grandhotelabyss.substack.com

Welcome back to The Invisible College, my series of literature courses for paid subscribers. The introduction to and schedule for the 2025 season is here. The 2024 archive is here. This episode, of which the first 20 minutes is free, concerns Homer’s Odyssey. Topics include translation controversies, historical esoterica, and what it means—for everything from art to gender to social organization—for The Odyssey to be “the first bourgeois novel.” Please like, share, and comment! The slideshow corresponding to the episode can be downloaded behind the paywall: