Illustration by Brandon Celi, New York Times illustration published here. I celebrate illustration that has a painterly flair. Brandon Celi’s playful take is a specimen of good-natured ribbing. It’s well known that the president enjoys assuming various roles and costumes vicariously via A.I.-assisted depictions of himself. Caesar in all but name, Mr. Trump has a nimble sense of humor, and will savor Celi’s piquante tribute, as well as the instructively ironic juxtaposition of his eminence, who is highly literate, with the quip attributed to King Henry I of England: “An illiterate king is a crowned ass.”
“Processing Nolan’s “Odyssey” is its own odyssey.”
(Frank Bruni)
It’s a family-friendly audiovisual spectacle, like an elaborate Fourth of July fireworks display — and with about the same level of narrative and emotional depth… It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal.
(Emily Wilson)
… [Wilson’s] tone of dismissal & haughty superiority strike a sour note… Rather than disagreeing with interpretations of Homer in a collegial manner, this person, who has benefited enormously from Nolan’s film, speaks in the crude language of MAGA folks attacking someone with ideas that differ from hers.
(Joyce Carol Oates)
(I would write “strikes a sour note” because “tone” is singular, but Oates is writing on X, where neither fact nor grammar reigns.)
I endorse the heroic approach to classics: Skip the flicks, learn their language and read them in the original.
(Except for Bruni, quotations are from Neil Vigdor, “How Emily Wilson’s Takedown of ‘The Odyssey’ Ignited a Debate,” New York Times, 7-31-26)
(c) 2026 JMN — EthicalDative. All rights reserved
EthicalDative 
Have you seen the movie Jim? If so, what did you think of it? I have read quite differing reviews. I’m in your camp of skipping the flicks and reading the original.
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No, I haven’t seen it, Sue. I can’t integrate movies into my routine at present. I respect Emily Wilson as a scholar/translator but found her “takedown” shrill and petulant. I respect the folks who experienced the film as spectacle and came away entertained. What’s more to expect from this medium?
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I am in full agreement with you, Jim. If a whole lot of people go to the movie and learn something, and some are curious enough to read the original, it will have been a success. Best wishes Sue
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