French Literature Reviews - 2026
Barbara Cassin, L'Odyssée au Louvre. Un roman graphique
Comparative and World Literature
Odysseus of the many turns is a contemporary hero—shipwrecked yet resourceful, homesick for a distant land yet yearning for home. He is a Greek hero, of course, who chooses mortality, a personal name, a narrative selfhood, the power of persuasive speech, and recognition.
The words of the Odyssey are brought to life before our eyes through the vases of the Louvre's Campana Gallery, forming a true graphic novel. We thus come to understand what a pagan world looks like, and how Homer, the Bible, or science exercise their own distinct forms of authority over us.
At the conclusion of these lectures for the Louvre Chair, I felt I caught a glimpse of how deeply Greek we still are. — B. C.
This volume presents lectures delivered for the Louvre Chair, connecting ancient Greek literature with the visual arts preserved in the museum collections. By pairing the verses of the Odyssey with the painted pottery of the Campana Gallery, the text engages with how narrative selfhood, persuasive speech, and the choice of mortality are embodied in classical antiquity, while readers interested in classical reception, ancient epic poetry, and the intersection of literature and visual culture may find this publication relevant.