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I'm under the belief that the original Star Wars will be studied alongside epics like The Iliad and The Odyssey. It was hugely impactful when released, reinterp

I'm under the belief that the original Star Wars will be studied alongside epics like The Iliad and The Odyssey. It was hugely impactful when released, reinterpreted the hero's journey for the 20th century, and even has its own holiday.

andrepd 8y ago
I strongly beg to disagree. It is massively popular, sure. In the end, however, it's just a mediocre story full of holes and inconsistencies, among shoddy worldbuilding. Cannot be put on the same level as a classical epic.
- forapurpose 8y ago
  > full of holes and inconsistencies, among shoddy worldbuilding I'm not sure that is the reason for the difference. The Odyssey has plenty of gaping holes and shoddy worldbuilding, plus some inconsistencies. For example, the plot of the very end flops IMHO (and less humbly opinionated people agree); you have to strain to give it much credit. What I think separates it from Star Wars and most other stories ever created is its reflection of humanity. The characters and social interactions are so true and so rich - not at the superficial layer, where there are gods and magic, but at the core of anger, pride, love, compromise, fear, uncertainty, joy, power, etc. - you can look at it and deep into it forever and will never run dry. If I can run on a bit, Dante wrote, nature takes her course from the divine mind and its art ... your art, as far as it can, follows nature as the pupil the master, so that your art is to God, as it were, a grandchild.[0] The Odyssey fulfills that, IMHO; a wonder of mortal creation. Tangentially, Odysseus is one of the most unpleasant characters in all of literature, in deed and personality. Even on Game of Thrones he would be at the bottom of the barrel. [0] About himself! It's in Inferno; Dante conveniently put those lines in the mouth of another character speaking to the author. EDIT: Major edits
  - adrianN 8y ago
    It also has the benefit of being one of only a few epics that survived from that time.
batteryhorse 8y ago
The Iliad and The Odyssey are historically accurate, it is actual history. Heinrich Schliemann proved this with his archaeological excavations. Star Wars is just a kids story, you really cannot compare the two.
- tgb 8y ago
  I can't imagine what you mean by historically accurate with regards to tales of near-immortals, gods, monsters, etc. How could archeology show the story of one man's voyage to be accurate, let alone the sirens and cyclops that he sees on the way?

andrepd 8y ago

I strongly beg to disagree. It is massively popular, sure. In the end, however, it's just a mediocre story full of holes and inconsistencies, among shoddy worldbuilding. Cannot be put on the same level as a classical epic.

forapurpose 8y ago
> full of holes and inconsistencies, among shoddy worldbuilding I'm not sure that is the reason for the difference. The Odyssey has plenty of gaping holes and shoddy worldbuilding, plus some inconsistencies. For example, the plot of the very end flops IMHO (and less humbly opinionated people agree); you have to strain to give it much credit. What I think separates it from Star Wars and most other stories ever created is its reflection of humanity. The characters and social interactions are so true and so rich - not at the superficial layer, where there are gods and magic, but at the core of anger, pride, love, compromise, fear, uncertainty, joy, power, etc. - you can look at it and deep into it forever and will never run dry. If I can run on a bit, Dante wrote, nature takes her course from the divine mind and its art ... your art, as far as it can, follows nature as the pupil the master, so that your art is to God, as it were, a grandchild.[0] The Odyssey fulfills that, IMHO; a wonder of mortal creation. Tangentially, Odysseus is one of the most unpleasant characters in all of literature, in deed and personality. Even on Game of Thrones he would be at the bottom of the barrel. [0] About himself! It's in Inferno; Dante conveniently put those lines in the mouth of another character speaking to the author. EDIT: Major edits
- adrianN 8y ago
  It also has the benefit of being one of only a few epics that survived from that time.

batteryhorse 8y ago

The Iliad and The Odyssey are historically accurate, it is actual history. Heinrich Schliemann proved this with his archaeological excavations. Star Wars is just a kids story, you really cannot compare the two.

tgb 8y ago
I can't imagine what you mean by historically accurate with regards to tales of near-immortals, gods, monsters, etc. How could archeology show the story of one man's voyage to be accurate, let alone the sirens and cyclops that he sees on the way?