1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hinds, Gareth. 2010. THE ODYSSEY. Somerville: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763642662
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The great hero, Odysseus has not returned to Ithaca since leaving to fight in Troy. Prince Telemachus, who hasn’t see his father in seventeen
years, is visited by goddess Athena in disguise. She assures him of his father’s soon
return and urges Telemachus to stop the
“shameless suitors who harass his mother and consume his wine and cattle,
feasting in Odysseus’s palace.” As Telemachus journeys to search for his father, Odysseus' long struggle to return home unfolds.
Odysseus' return home was doomed by Poseidon, the sea god, when Odysseus blinded his son, Polyphemus. Poseidon sent a storm to shipwreck the hero, who becomes imprisoned on the island of Ogygia by the nymph Calypso. Intervention from Mount Olympus allows the prisoner to build a raft and leave - only to be shipwrecked once again by the begrudging sea god. Now he lands at the home of the Phaeacians who welcome him with feasts, games, and dancing. Odysseus stuns his hosts with his identity and they are mesmerized by the recounts of his adventures with witches, cyclops, Sirens, sea monsters, and the walking dead of Hades. They return Odysseus to Ithaca and Athena disguises him as a beggar in order to expose all enemies of the king.
Telemachus safely returns to Ithaca and joins his father and other loyal servants in purging the palace of greedy "curs." After winning an archery competition among the suitors for Penelope's hand in marriage, Odysseus reveals himself and slaughters all suitors, maids, and servants who betrayed the family. Those who remained loyal and honest are spared, and Odysseus' journey ends as he reunites with his wife, son, and kingdom.
Odysseus' return home was doomed by Poseidon, the sea god, when Odysseus blinded his son, Polyphemus. Poseidon sent a storm to shipwreck the hero, who becomes imprisoned on the island of Ogygia by the nymph Calypso. Intervention from Mount Olympus allows the prisoner to build a raft and leave - only to be shipwrecked once again by the begrudging sea god. Now he lands at the home of the Phaeacians who welcome him with feasts, games, and dancing. Odysseus stuns his hosts with his identity and they are mesmerized by the recounts of his adventures with witches, cyclops, Sirens, sea monsters, and the walking dead of Hades. They return Odysseus to Ithaca and Athena disguises him as a beggar in order to expose all enemies of the king.
Telemachus safely returns to Ithaca and joins his father and other loyal servants in purging the palace of greedy "curs." After winning an archery competition among the suitors for Penelope's hand in marriage, Odysseus reveals himself and slaughters all suitors, maids, and servants who betrayed the family. Those who remained loyal and honest are spared, and Odysseus' journey ends as he reunites with his wife, son, and kingdom.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Homer's epic novel, THE ODYSSEY in graphic novel form!!!
Hinds incredibly re-tells this ancient poem, originally written in dactylic hexameter, into an approachable adventurous graphic novel for young adults. In this impressive feat, Hinds includes all of the essential events of THE ODYSSEY as well as its principal characters.
The main character, Odysseus is a courageous, smart, strong, and cunning man who leads an army of brave men in and out of battle as they make their return to Ithaca. There are many challenges and temptations along the way (riches, beautiful women, food and comforts); the gods provide many warnings in order to steer the men on the right path, but Odysseus and his crew are often hasty in their judgements and fall into temptation prolonging their journey home.
The most impressive asset in Hinds' interpretation is the illustration that accompanies the story. Hinds provides adventurous, action-packed, watercolor and pencil images to tell the story of THE ODYSSEY. In some cases, the two-page spread is only accompanied by one or two sentences of text (p. 148-149). This leaves the images to tell the story. The panel layouts are varied throughout the book in mostly even strips, but the most climactic events have a skewed grid (diagonal or broken lines) to add dynamic manga action (p. 140, p. 212, and p. 246). The pages are filled with colorful, vibrant watercolor images, and the details provided are outstanding! When Hinds introduces Odysseus into the story (p.50 -55) the reader can see the sadness in the prisoner's eyes and the weariness in his wrinkled face. Later in the novel (p. 184-185), Odysseus battles against a "young buck" and spectators are impressed by the old man's build and thighs. The face expressions are clearly evident and phenomenal. They do not distract from but emphasize the events of the story. The foaming waves of the sea have movement, the cave of cyclops is red from a crackling fire, the people of Hades are sunken-eyed, dreadful and ghastly. Each of the gods (disguised or not) are traced with bright colored pencil instead of the black Hinds uses for mortals. This graphic novel is full of unique details and perfect use of color.
Young readers will enjoy this clear and understandable version of the classic poem themed with good vs. evil. Hinds incorporated favored translations by Fagles, Fitzgerald, and Rieu because of their "balance of poetry and readability." The gripping tale combines mythology and reality: gods helping a favored mortal complete an impossible journey. Odysseus' complex character must face great quests and obstacles in a fantasy realm; readers will applaud his relentless desire to return to his family and empathize with him in the obstacles he must overcome to complete his journey.
Hinds incredibly re-tells this ancient poem, originally written in dactylic hexameter, into an approachable adventurous graphic novel for young adults. In this impressive feat, Hinds includes all of the essential events of THE ODYSSEY as well as its principal characters.
The main character, Odysseus is a courageous, smart, strong, and cunning man who leads an army of brave men in and out of battle as they make their return to Ithaca. There are many challenges and temptations along the way (riches, beautiful women, food and comforts); the gods provide many warnings in order to steer the men on the right path, but Odysseus and his crew are often hasty in their judgements and fall into temptation prolonging their journey home.
The most impressive asset in Hinds' interpretation is the illustration that accompanies the story. Hinds provides adventurous, action-packed, watercolor and pencil images to tell the story of THE ODYSSEY. In some cases, the two-page spread is only accompanied by one or two sentences of text (p. 148-149). This leaves the images to tell the story. The panel layouts are varied throughout the book in mostly even strips, but the most climactic events have a skewed grid (diagonal or broken lines) to add dynamic manga action (p. 140, p. 212, and p. 246). The pages are filled with colorful, vibrant watercolor images, and the details provided are outstanding! When Hinds introduces Odysseus into the story (p.50 -55) the reader can see the sadness in the prisoner's eyes and the weariness in his wrinkled face. Later in the novel (p. 184-185), Odysseus battles against a "young buck" and spectators are impressed by the old man's build and thighs. The face expressions are clearly evident and phenomenal. They do not distract from but emphasize the events of the story. The foaming waves of the sea have movement, the cave of cyclops is red from a crackling fire, the people of Hades are sunken-eyed, dreadful and ghastly. Each of the gods (disguised or not) are traced with bright colored pencil instead of the black Hinds uses for mortals. This graphic novel is full of unique details and perfect use of color.
Young readers will enjoy this clear and understandable version of the classic poem themed with good vs. evil. Hinds incorporated favored translations by Fagles, Fitzgerald, and Rieu because of their "balance of poetry and readability." The gripping tale combines mythology and reality: gods helping a favored mortal complete an impossible journey. Odysseus' complex character must face great quests and obstacles in a fantasy realm; readers will applaud his relentless desire to return to his family and empathize with him in the obstacles he must overcome to complete his journey.
4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPTS
YALSA Top 10 Great Graphic Novels for Teens, 2011
School Library Journal's Battle of the Kids' Books, 2011
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2011
Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)
One of the oldest and most often retold literary classics is faithfully recreated in watercolors and pastels.
Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2011 (Vol. 64, No. 5))
...with this graphic-novel interpretation Hinds will hook some of those holdouts who have thus far resisted THE ODYSSEY'S lure.
...with this graphic-novel interpretation Hinds will hook some of those holdouts who have thus far resisted THE ODYSSEY'S lure.
5. CONNECTIONS
* Use Teacher's Guide provided by Candlewick publishers to begin discussion questions for this book:
http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763642665.btg.1.pdf
*Read a section of the original poem (in English prose) to compare to the graphic novel; discuss differences:
http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.html
http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763642665.btg.1.pdf
*Read a section of the original poem (in English prose) to compare to the graphic novel; discuss differences:
http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.html
*Have students chose a character from the book that best matches their personality. "Whom do you most closely identify with and why?"
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