Hello friends!
Following Tuesday’s discussion, you can now watch back the entire first session on The Iliad in case you missed it (free members can watch the first half).
In it, Sean recaps books 1-7, and outlines some of the main themes of this foundational epic of Western literature. Plus, some great points were brought up by the community during the call:
Liberty Momm made an insightful comparison between Hector and Stonewall Jackson — emphasizing how the acceptance of fate, destiny, and death is a prerequisite to true military leadership.
Jocelyn Leigh highlighted the dichotomy of Hector and Paris, and how they’re foils of morally exemplar and morally repugnant behavior, serving as archetypal patterns of virtue and vice in the ancient world.
Paul Frederic emphasized the clash of chaos and order in the Iliad. This is most pronounced between the bloody battlefield outside the gates of Troy, and the civility within the city. It points out how man himself must learn to confront chaos, such that he can maintain order, virtue, and stability in life.
Alexander pointed out that studying the Iliad impresses us with the realization that civilization is good and needs preserving (through due reverence of the past).
Mark Your Calendars…
Our final discussion on The Iliad takes place Tuesday, August 5, at 12.00pm ET.
Sign up below to attend — all premium book club members can join the live discussion up on stage…
Note: paid subscribers via Substack will automatically receive an access link for the live calls.
Reminder: If you haven’t joined our community yet, we are a digital book club that’s rediscovering the great texts of Western Civilization — from Dante to Dostoevsky. Inside, you’ll get:
Live community book discussions (bi-weekly)
Weekly literature essays straight to your inbox
The entire archive of book reviews + our 100 great texts reading list
