When you sit down with a copy of Homer’s work, you aren't just reading a book. You're stepping into a blueprint. Honestly, it’s a bit of a mind-bender. If you've ever wondered what is the genre of the odyssey, the short answer is "epic poetry." But that doesn’t really cover it. Not even close. It's like calling The Godfather just a "crime movie." It's true, but it misses the soul of the thing.
The Odyssey is a foundational text of Western literature. It’s old. Really old. We're talking 8th century BCE old. Because it was composed in an era of oral tradition, it doesn't behave like a modern novel. There are no chapters in the way we think of them, just "books" that were originally meant to be performed, sung, or chanted by a rhapsode (a professional performer of epic poetry).
Defining the Genre of the Odyssey
Let’s get technical for a second. The primary genre of the odyssey is the epic. In the Greek tradition, this is specifically dactylic hexameter poetry. This rhythm is the "meter of heroes." It has a specific heartbeat—a long syllable followed by two short ones, repeated six times per line. Imagine a heavy, rhythmic stomp.
$$- \cup \cup | - \cup \cup | - \cup \cup | - \cup \cup | - \cup \cup | - -$$
That rhythm kept the performer on track. It helped them remember thousands of lines without a teleprompter or a script. But "epic" isn't just about the beat. It’s about the scale. An epic deals with the "big stuff." We're talking about the fate of nations, the whims of the gods, and the moral fiber of a hero who represents an entire culture.
Scholars like Milman Parry and Albert Lord revolutionized how we see this genre in the 1930s. They realized it wasn't "written" at all. It was "composed in performance." This means the genre is inherently oral. It uses "formulas"—repeated phrases like "rosy-fingered Dawn" or "wine-dark sea"—to give the poet a breather while they figure out the next plot point. It’s basically the ancient version of a jazz musician riffing on a standard tune.
The Hero's Journey: Is it an Adventure?
People often call it an adventure story. Is that a genre? Kinda. In the modern sense, it’s the grandfather of the "Road Movie."
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Odysseus is just trying to get home to Ithaca. That’s it. But the genre of the odyssey complicates this simple goal with the nostos. That’s the Greek word for "homecoming." The whole story is a nostos epic. It’s about the struggle to reclaim one's identity after a decade of war. Think about it. Odysseus spends ten years at Troy and then ten more years lost at sea. By the time he gets back, he's a stranger in his own house.
The story is also a maritime adventure. You’ve got monsters like Scylla and Charybdis. You’ve got the Sirens. You’ve got a literal Giant (Polyphemus) eating people. If you stripped away the high-brow academic labels, you’d find a survival thriller underneath.
Why the Genre isn't "Novel"
Don't call it a novel. Seriously. The novel as a genre didn't really kick off until the 18th century with folks like Daniel Defoe or Samuel Richardson. The Odyssey lacks the "interiority" we expect from modern books. We don't spend fifty pages hearing Odysseus's internal monologue about his feelings. We see what he does. His character is revealed through action and "epithets." He is "wily" or "long-suffering." His nature is fixed, unlike a novel character who might undergo a radical psychological shift.
It’s a Drama (Sorta)
If you look at the structure, especially the final few books where Odysseus is back in Ithaca disguised as a beggar, the genre of the odyssey starts to look like a stage play. Aristotle, in his Poetics, actually compared epic poetry to tragedy.
It has:
- Reversal (Peripeteia): Odysseus goes from a king to a beggar and back again.
- Recognition (Anagnorisis): This is huge. The moment his old nurse Eurycleia recognizes the scar on his leg? That’s pure drama.
- Suffering (Pathos): The guy loses every single one of his men. Every. Single. One.
The complexity of the plot—starting in media res (in the middle of things)—is a hallmark of the epic genre. We don't start at the beginning of the journey. We start years into it, while Odysseus is trapped on Calypso's island. This non-linear storytelling was incredibly sophisticated for its time. It’s Tarantino before Tarantino.
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The Role of the Divine
We have to talk about the gods. In the genre of the odyssey, the "divine apparatus" is essential. This isn't just a story about a guy; it’s a story about a guy being toyed with by Poseidon and protected by Athena.
In a modern fantasy genre, magic usually has rules. In the Homeric epic, the gods are "personified forces." Poseidon isn't just a god of the sea; he is the sea's rage. When Odysseus blinds the Cyclops, he isn't just hurting a monster; he's offending a fundamental force of the universe. This "theological" layer is what separates ancient epics from modern action-adventure flicks.
A Lesson in Hospitality: The Xenia Code
There is another sub-genre at play here: the "Didactic" or instructional element. The Odyssey serves as a manual for Xenia, the Greek code of guest-friendship.
The entire plot is driven by who follows the rules of Xenia and who doesn't.
- The Suitors? They break the rules by eating Odysseus's food without being invited.
- Polyphemus? He breaks the rules by eating his guests instead of feeding them.
- Phaeacians? They are the gold standard, giving Odysseus gifts and a ride home.
In this sense, the genre is a cultural touchstone. It taught young Greeks how to behave. It wasn't just entertainment; it was social glue.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often lump the Iliad and the Odyssey together as if they’re the same thing. They aren't. While they share the same overarching genre of the odyssey, their vibes are totally different.
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The Iliad is a war poem. It’s static, heavy, and tragic. It's about death.
The Odyssey is a travel poem. It’s fluid, diverse, and arguably has a "happy" ending (if you ignore the massacre of the suitors).
Some scholars, like Samuel Butler in the 19th century, even famously argued that the Odyssey might have been written by a woman because of its focus on the domestic sphere, Penelope’s cleverness, and the intricate details of the household. While most modern classicists don't buy the "authoress" theory, it highlights how different this genre feels from the hyper-masculine battlefield of Troy.
Genre Breakdown: A Quick Prose Summary
To put it simply, if you’re looking at a bookshelf, you’d put the Odyssey under Classical Epic Poetry. If you’re looking at it through a literary lens, it’s a Homecoming (Nostos) Narrative. If you’re a fan of tropes, it’s the original Quest/Travelogue. It’s also arguably a Folktale Collection stitched together by a master poet.
How to Read it Today
If you want to actually "get" the genre, don't read it like a textbook. It’s meant to be heard.
- Try an Audio Version: Listen to a translation like Emily Wilson’s or Robert Fagles’s. Hearing the cadence makes a massive difference.
- Look for the "Repeaters": Don't get annoyed when the poet repeats a whole paragraph of instructions. That’s the "Oral Formulaic" genre at work. It’s a feature, not a bug.
- Watch the Structure: Notice how the first four books (the Telemachy) don't even feature Odysseus. It’s a "Coming of Age" story for his son before it becomes an adventure for the father.
- Embrace the Weirdness: The ghosts in the underworld, the witch turning men into pigs—these are "Wonders" (thaumata). The genre thrives on the boundary between the known world and the supernatural edge of the map.
The Odyssey isn't a museum piece. It’s the DNA of almost every story we tell today. From O Brother, Where Art Thou? to Star Wars, the DNA of the epic hero—the "man of many twists and turns"—is everywhere. Understanding its genre isn't about passing a test; it's about seeing how humans have been trying to find their way home for three thousand years.
To dive deeper into the world of Homer, start by comparing two different translations of the first ten lines. You'll see immediately how the "genre" shifts depending on whether the translator focuses on the "song" (the poetry) or the "story" (the adventure). Pick the one that feels more like a living voice to you.