The Nature of the Poem

About the lecture

In this module, we think about what sort of poem the Odyssey is, focusing in particular on the concept of oral poetry, the Odyssey's relationship with the Iliad, and the structure of the poem.

About the lecturer

Richard Jenkyns was an undergraduate at Balliol College, Oxford. He was a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, from 1972 to 1981, Lecturer in Classics, University of Bristol, 1978-81, and from 1981 to 2010 he was a Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Lady Margaret Hall.

He became Professor of the Classical Tradition in 1999 and the University’s Public Orator in 2004. He was awarded a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship 2007-10.