Hal is happy to report that we have completed another week reading about him.
We read chapters 15 – 30. A wonderful summary can be found here.
Fun Link:
Daisy Bell and early synthesized singing at Bell Labs
Clark's earlier, related, short story, The Sentinel
Welcome back friends, new and old. This is it! The big one. The one we’ve all been waiting for.
The first check in for the last book in Frank Herbert’s Dune series.
The chapters of this book begin with a quote. As opposed to a number. But this handy dandy guide can translate the quotes to chapter numbers for you.
For in between check ins, Marginalia
Finally someone recognizes Odysseus. The end is near!
Book XVIII
Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, is confronted by another beggar named Irus, who sees him as competition. The suitors encourage the two men to fight for entertainment. Odysseus easily defeats Irus, showing that beneath the disguise he still has strength and control. Afterward, Penelope appears before the suitors and, with Athena’s help, seems especially impressive and beautiful. She speaks skillfully, scolding the suitors while also drawing gifts from them. The book shows both Odysseus’s restraint and Penelope’s intelligence. It also deepens the ugliness of the suitors, who treat serious matters like sport.
Book XIX
Odysseus and Telemachus begin preparing for the coming attack by removing weapons from the hall. Later, Penelope speaks at length with Odysseus, still not knowing who he is. He tells her a false story about himself but describes Odysseus so convincingly that she is moved to tears. Then comes one of the most famous recognition scenes in the poem: the old nurse Eurycleia, while washing Odysseus’s feet, recognizes him by the scar on his leg. Odysseus quickly makes her swear to keep silent. Penelope also tells the beggar about her plan for the bow contest, which will help determine her future. This book is full of concealment, recognition, and emotional tension.
Book XX
The pressure builds. Odysseus spends a restless night thinking about the suitors and the revenge ahead. Penelope also lies awake in distress. Signs and omens begin to suggest that justice is near. Odysseus receives encouragement from Zeus, and the household continues to divide itself between the loyal and the disloyal. At the palace, the suitors grow even more reckless and cruel, joking in ways that make their doom feel close. The prophet Theoclymenus sees a terrible vision of blood and darkness surrounding them, but the suitors laugh him off. By the end of the book, the mood is tense and ominous: disaster is coming, and only some people get it.
Summaries can be found at Cliffnotes, and Sparknotes.