The Odyssey as American Epic

Twenty twenty-six may be the year of “home.” In July, Americans celebrated the 250th anniversary of our homeland’s independence from Great Britain. Later that month, people flocked to the theaters for Christopher Nolan’s cinematic depiction of Homer’s tale about a Greek warrior-king and his journey home. Then at the end of August, Wendell Berry passed away. From his home in Port Royal, Kentucky, the farmer and writer had taught multiple generations to love the particular places they call home, and his death inspired outpourings of gratitude from the right, left, and center of the American political spectrum.

Among those tributes was a moving piece in UnHerd by Patrick Deneen, professor of political science at Notre Dame. Deneen credits Berry with his decision to move his young family out of the hustle of Washington, D.C., to a simpler life in South Bend, Indiana.

However, his tribute to Berry was not the first time that Deneen has written about a man setting out to find home. His latest book, American Odyssey, based on his doctoral dissertation, explores the connection between the American ethos and Homer’s Odyssey. Deneen argues that American classics such as The Wizard of Oz, It’s a Wonderful Life, Huckleberry Finn, and Field of Dream s all echo Homer’s ancient tale about the “man of many twists and turns.”