odessey vs iliad

The Odyssey has more fantasy element to it such as Circe, the cyclops and the sirens (to name a few) whereas the Iliad is more about war. I thought i wouldn't enjoy studying the Iliad at A-Level but so far I am really enjoying it and there are other bits. I think it is about personal preference but don't be put off by the Iliad being about war. For OCR you skip most of the books in the middle which is where the majority of the fighting takes place so the more important themes such as the role of the gods, attitude to war and women feature more heavily. Both are great choices in my opinion!

Personally I would pick the Iliad but I am not a massive fan of fantasy and myth but it is really just personal preference

Love and Relationships is quite conceptual so you need to be really familiar with the ideas of Plato and Seneca (and Ovid and Sappho). I prefer the other modules of the course but it isn't too bad. Plus the textbook isn't thick!

Love and Relationships is quite conceptual so you need to be really familiar with the ideas of Plato and Seneca (and Ovid and Sappho). I prefer the other modules of the course but it isn't too bad. Plus the textbook isn't thick!

So will I need previous knowledge of Plato, Seneca etc. or will I be able to learn this from the textbook? What module are you personally learning and how do you find it?

Sorry for all these questions its bc im studying this all myself so its hard to find relevant info. Im assuming you use the bloomsbury OCR approved textbooks?

Also, for the other components will there be other specific texts im required to buy or will the textbook be enough? For example I know for component 11 I will need a copy of either the odyssey or the iliad.

Thanks for the advice

I've heard that the Iliad is written in a more complex style compared to the odyssey and can be dry/boring in some parts? Is the iliad difficult to read?

There's more going on in the Odyssey in terms of all the creatures Odyseus comes across, the Iliad is more about Achilles and the reasons he joins the Trojan war. I think the Iliad is a good place to start and it is the older story. The first sentence of both tell you a lot about the story to come. This is a crude half remembered translation:
Iliad - I sing of anger and the man...
Odyssey - I sing of the man of many ways who after ten years at war travels across the sea back home...

I didn’t have any previous knowledge of the Plato and Seneca before I started.
The textbook has the key quotes and there are no prescribed Texts for it.
However, it might be useful to pick up a copy of Plato’s Symposium

You will also need a copy of the Iliad or the Odyssey ( but make sure you get the translation that OCR specifies)

The modules I take are Love and Relationships, World of the Hero and Greek Theatre
And yes, I use the approved textbook for all components

The Odyssey is probably more "interesting" for most people who aren't familiar with the epic genre and Greek culture generally, since the adventures books with the cyclops, Circe etc are a bit more engaging than a lot of the Iliad imo, if you aren't really deep in the literary analysis of it (which at A-level you aren't likely to be, and won't likely have the resources available to engage with that scholarship anyway). Of course, it may be the prescribed sections of the Odyssey for the spec don't include those books and focus more on the Telemachy or the bits from after Odysseus returns to Ithaca...so it depends on what is actually in the spec!

To be honest I didn't really find the books of either the Iliad or the Odyssey I've read (not for A-level, for a first year degree level module) that enjoyable, but maybe I'm just not really "into" the epic genre I think I prefer the tragedies personally

Some bits can be repetitive such as the formulaic battle scenes but it’s bearable

Ive decided to give both a chance in the summer. The iliad does sound very interesting. thanks for the help

So will I need previous knowledge of Plato, Seneca etc. or will I be able to learn this from the textbook? What module are you personally learning and how do you find it?

Sorry for all these questions its bc im studying this all myself so its hard to find relevant info. Im assuming you use the bloomsbury OCR approved textbooks?

Also, for the other components will there be other specific texts im required to buy or will the textbook be enough? For example I know for component 11 I will need a copy of either the odyssey or the iliad.