I really enjoyed Emily Wilson’s translation (not this specific edition) of The Iliad. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a translation of this epic, so I can’t compare and contrast; however, I found her language choices accessible and her explanations for those choices enlightening. Once I recover from speedrunning this (library hold was running out), I would like to compare this translation to at least one earlier (and, perhaps, male) translation to determine where the differences lie (particularly with the descriptions and words of the women characters; but, in a less serious way, nipple vs breast and other single-word/phrase choices). My rating for characters and plot is no slight against Wilson’s work. Thinking about this being performed, in whatever way it was way back when, no one was thinking about plot beats or character arcs the way readers might expect now. People added to the epic, certain sections gain more traction or take up more of the audience’s attention, and then who knows how cobbled together it was by the time it was written/recorded. I get that people would’ve enjoyed a long list of names and places—even though the static was taking over my brain about halfway through those sections—because that’s where they come from or because there are certain affiliations with those regions and names. I get that men are the focus because they ran/run society. And through the heroes and gods, men can explore glory, legacy, immortality, and a whole lot of ridiculousness. So basically, it’s not even a little bit her fault that Achilles and Agamemnon are acting like the “Real Housewives of Ancient Greece,” while “Big Brother: Mount Olympus” is going on overhead. I never felt overwhelmed by reading this translation and I’m glad I decided to tackle it.