(Re: the Fagles translation) -- the roots of sooooo much of Western literature can be spotted in this masterwork. Trading in some of the Iliad's scope for intimacy and stronger characters makes this an extremely satisfying read even today. How interesting that Odysseus, the prototype of the ideal man, is still portrayed as ineffably human; he demonstrates exhaustion, he weeps, he feels remorse. Perhaps more than anything else, I think this demonstration that even the greatest of our heroes are still fallible represents the Odyssey's most lasting legacy, and why even outside of historical appreciation and influence, there is still value in this work to this day.