Reading Notes: Iliad: The Slaying of Hector, Part B

For the second reading for this week, I continued reading Homer's the Iliad. The part I found the most interesting was Iliad: The Slaying of Hector which is part of the Iliad unit. Story source: The Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church (1907).

Much like the first half of the Iliad, the grammar and word choice reflects the time period it was written in as well as the setting. Both readings had dialogue, however, this reading had a few monologues in it as well. The use of the monologue is an interesting way to reflect what a characters internal thoughts are without stating, "Character A thinks this". Another interesting aspect of the language was the phrase "swift-footed Achilles". Immediately, this simple description of Achilles chase of Apollo gave a clear idea of Achilles mobility. Many of these aspects of the writing allow for condensed story telling without appearing blunt or as merely stating facts. With regards to the conflict in this story, the author had the two main characters separated by physical space but still having a great tension among the two. This writing strategy would work well in my own story. Creating a somewhat split-screen type narration of what each character is thinking and doing prior to a climactic fight builds momentum and creates excitement for the story. Couple this with each character having a monologue to reflect their feelings towards the upcoming fight creates for an interesting story.

Photo of Greek God Apollo by Wikipedia