--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What if The Odyssey has no more validity…" description: "\"What if The Odyssey has no more validity or authenticity than one of the other stories that you hear Odysseus telling? Whoever created The Odyssey was ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/daniel-mendelsohn-21084_authenticity_what-if-the-odyssey-has-no-more-validity_3049449.png" --- # What if The Odyssey has no more validity or authenticity… ![“What if The Odyssey has no more validity or authenticity than one of the other stories that you hear Odysseus telling? Whoever created The Odyssey was incredibly hip to stuff that we think, in our post-modernist, post-structuralist era, we're uncovering for the first time; but we aren't.” quote by Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/daniel-mendelsohn-21084_authenticity_what-if-the-odyssey-has-no-more-validity_3049449.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/daniel-mendelsohn-21084_authenticity_what-if-the-odyssey-has-no-more-validity_3049449.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/daniel-mendelsohn-21084_authenticity_what-if-the-odyssey-has-no-more-validity_3049449.png) > “What if The Odyssey has no more validity or authenticity than one of the other stories that you hear Odysseus telling? Whoever created The Odyssey was incredibly hip to stuff that we think, in our post-modernist, post-structuralist era, we're uncovering for the first time; but we aren't.” [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Odyssey may seem novel now, but its themes have always existed; we’re rediscovering what’s always been there. **In simple terms:** Old stories feel new because we see them in fresh ways. Key Takeaway Recognize timeless ideas in modern contexts. Themes literature history interpretation Mood thoughtful analytical Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - academic study - creative writing - teaching literature Key Concepts mythology post‑modernism cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - What “old” truth feels new to you? - How does context shape perception? A Different Perspective Modern lenses can distort original meanings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Created Odyssey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/created-odyssey-5064448/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Hear Odysseus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hear-odysseus-5064451/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homer/) [Odysseus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odysseus/) [Odysseus Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odysseus-telling-5064450/) [Odyssey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odyssey/) [Odyssey Validity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odyssey-validity-5064449/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [What if](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-if/) ## Related quotes > [I find that readers are very interested in how things are translated. I just turned in the first part of this father-son Odyssey, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-find-that-readers-are-very-interested-in-how-things-are-translated/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [ “In a time of disorder \[Laertes\] has returned to the care of the earth, the foundation of life and hope. And Odysseus finds him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/in-a-time-of-disorder-laertes-has-returned-to-the-care-of-the-earth/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“They no longer wanted to entice anyone; all they wanted was to catch a glimpse for as long as possible of the reflected glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/they-no-longer-wanted-to-entice-anyone-all-they-wanted-was-to-catch-a/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“For I say there is no other thing that is worse than the sea is for breaking a man, even though he may a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/for-i-say-there-is-no-other-thing-that-is-worse-than-the-sea-is-for/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [“As you set out on your journey to Ithaca, pray that your journey be a long one, filled with adventure, filled with discovery. Laestrygonians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-powell/as-you-set-out-on-your-journey-to-ithaca-pray-that-your-journey-be-a/) [Barry B. Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-powell/) > [“But they could neither of them persuade me, for there is nothing dearer to a man than his own country and his parents, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/but-they-could-neither-of-them-persuade-me-for-there-is-nothing/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > ['The Odyssey' is a great poem to refugee-dom... Odysseus is not entirely a refugee... he's somebody who's blown off course. The entire book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-osborne/the-odyssey-is-a-great-poem-to-refugee-dom-odysseus-is-not-entirely-a/) [Lawrence Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-osborne/) > [But you, Achilles,/ There is not a man in the world more blest than you--/ There never has been, never will be one./ Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-you-achilles-there-is-not-a-man-in-the-world-more-blest-than-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What could you possibly write at Gates of Hades?” Cadmus asked. “Keep your spirits up.” Lycon sheathed the dagger he’d used to chisel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sulari-gentill/what-could-you-possibly-write-at-gates-of-hades-cadmus-asked-keep/) [Sulari Gentill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sulari-gentill/) > [“But when Odysseus rose, that man of many devices, fixing his down-cast eyes on the ground he stood: nor his scepter swayed, either this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/but-when-odysseus-rose-that-man-of-many-devices-fixing-his-down-cast/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [Across the gulf of centuries, the blind smile of Homer is turned upon our age. Along the echoing corridors of time, the roar of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/across-the-gulf-of-centuries-the-blind-smile-of-homer-is-turned-upon/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [To find anything comparable with our forthcoming ventures into space, we must go back far beyond Columbus, far beyond Odysseus-far, indeed, beyond the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/to-find-anything-comparable-with-our-forthcoming-ventures-into-space/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“You are like Odysseus, who could go out onto the great sea, lose all his goods and his friends, come to the boundaries of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-bradshaw/you-are-like-odysseus-who-could-go-out-onto-the-great-sea-lose-all/) [Gillian Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-bradshaw/) > [Odysseus inclines his head. "True. But fame is a strange thing. Some men gain glory after they die, while others fade. What is admired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/odysseus-inclines-his-head-true-but-fame-is-a-strange-thing-some-men/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [It's the quintessential Greek sport: harmonious, competitive, agonizing, nautical, and above all, intelligent. It combines Odysseus's brains and brawn and love of the sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-s-strauss/it-s-the-quintessential-greek-sport-harmonious-competitive-agonizing/) [Barry S. Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-s-strauss/) ## More by Daniel Mendelsohn > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [“An epic without a focus - without a single action, a coherent plot, a single terrible point to make - was just a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/an-epic-without-a-focus-without-a-single-action-a-coherent-plot-a/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Life is not bad, and it doesn't look more real if it's ugly or it's gritty. Think of your own life. 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People who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/we-are-living-in-an-era-of-such-interesting-new-forms-and-certainly/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [“This consideration takes us very close to what it is that makes Greek tragedy “tragic.” A play about an unambiguously heroic young woman, someone’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/this-consideration-takes-us-very-close-to-what-it-is-that-makes-greek/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [In the pre-Internet age you had to find gay things - or things that were slightly radioactive with erotic interest. You had to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/in-the-pre-internet-age-you-had-to-find-gay-things-or-things-that/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [“real tragedy is never a straightforward confrontation between Good and Evil, but is, rather, much more exquisitely and much more agonizingly, a conflict between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/real-tragedy-is-never-a-straightforward-confrontation-between-good/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Shopping as lifestyle is really a sub-cultural problem. When the strictures that set you apart or oppressed you, disappear, is there a way, legitimately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/shopping-as-lifestyle-is-really-a-sub-cultural-problem-when-the/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [You come out of the gate, you've got something new, you're subversive, nobody's ever done it before. But by your fifth novel and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/you-come-out-of-the-gate-you-ve-got-something-new-you-re-subversive/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Closeness can lead to emotions other than love. It's the ones who have been too intimate with you, lived in too close quarters, seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/closeness-can-lead-to-emotions-other-than-love-it-s-the-ones-who-have/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [The writers we absorb when we're young bind us to them, sometimes lightly, sometimes with iron. In time, the bonds fall away, but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/the-writers-we-absorb-when-we-re-young-bind-us-to-them-sometimes/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Gay people, certainly gay people of my generation, at least of a certain echelon - middle-class Americans - have binocular vision. We all are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/gay-people-certainly-gay-people-of-my-generation-at-least-of-a/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [“sunt lacrimae rerum, “There are tears in things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/sunt-lacrimae-rerum-there-are-tears-in-things/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) [Explore all 30 Daniel Mendelsohn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) ## More Authenticity quotes > [“the property that grounded the self in Romanticism was sincerity, and in modernism was authenticity, then in postmod ernism it is visibility.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-property-that-grounded-the-self-in-romanticism-was-sincerity-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Real artists offer authenticity, not just money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhymefest/real-artists-offer-authenticity-not-just-money/) [Rhymefest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhymefest/) > [“I figure the more people think I'm just mildly weird, the less likely they are to know how weird I really am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-hooyenga/i-figure-the-more-people-think-i-m-just-mildly-weird-the-less-likely/) [Melanie Hooyenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-hooyenga/) > [I think people can read authenticity and they know when you're involved and when you're just slapping your name on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/i-think-people-can-read-authenticity-and-they-know-when-you-re/) [La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/) > [“I strive for authenticity even though it brings with it vulnerability and the inevitable judgment of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-w-lee/i-strive-for-authenticity-even-though-it-brings-with-it-vulnerability/) [L.R.W. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/) > [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [What I love about Nivea is they're all about authenticity. The brand isn't pretending to be anything it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/what-i-love-about-nivea-is-they-re-all-about-authenticity-the-brand/) [Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/) > [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're really famous, there's very little authenticity in people, so you prefer the company of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/when-you-re-really-famous-there-s-very-little-authenticity-in-people/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) [Browse all 1,437 Authenticity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What if The Odyssey has no more validity or authenticity than one of the other stories that you hear Odysseus telling? 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