Ascend - The Great Books Podcast

Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan
  • 5.0 (27)
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Ascend - The Great Books Podcast Podcast

Welcome to Ascend! We are a weekly Great Books podcast hosted by Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan. What are the Great Books? The Great Books are the most impactful texts that have shaped Western civilization. They include ancients like Homer, Plato, St. Augustine, Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas, and also moderns like Machiavelli, Locke, and Nietzsche. We will explore the Great Books with the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Why should we read the Great Books? Everyone is a disciple of someone. A person may have never read Locke or Nietzsche, but he or she thinks like them. Reading the Great Books allows us to reclaim our intellect and understand the origin of the ideas that shape our world. We enter a "great conversation" amongst the most learned, intelligent humans in history and benefit from their insights. Is this for first-time readers? YES. Our goal is to host meaningful conversations on the Great Books by working through the texts in chronological order in a slow, attentive manner. Our host Adam Minihan is a first-time reader of Homer. We will start shallow and go deep. All are invited to join. Will any resources be available? YES. We are providing a free 115 Question & Answer Guide to the Iliad written by Deacon Harrison Garlick in addition to our weekly conversations. It will be available on the website (launching next week). Go pick up a copy of the Iliad! We look forward to reading Homer with you in 2024.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    The Odyssey Book Nine: Odysseus and the Cyclops

    Dcn. Garlick and Adam Minihan discuss BOOK NINE of the Odyssey: Odysseus and the Cyclops. Odysseus finally gives his name and starts to tell his story. Book Nine is one of the most important books in the Odyssey. Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for more information. From the guide: 48.      What happens in book nine? The guest of good King Alcinous finally declares, “I am Odysseus” (9.21), and he begins to tell his story (9.33). After Troy, Odysseus and the ships under his command raided a city on the island of Ismarus (9.44) where, the next morning, he lost men to a counterattack by the islanders (8.69). Next, Zeus hit Odysseus’ fleet with a storm, a “demonic gale” (9.76), and then, when free of the storm, his fleet was again taken off course by a rip-tide (9.89) that brought them to the land of the “Lotus-eaters” (9.94). Having saved his crew, Odysseus and his men come to a lush, uninhabited island (9.129), and across the strait see an island with signs of habitation (9.185). Odysseus and his men go to the island only to end up trapped in a cave with a cyclops (9.271). Though they plead for protection as guests under Zeus, Homer tells us: the cyclops grabbed two men, beat them against the ground “their brains gushed out all over, soaked the floor—and ripp[ed] them limb from limb to fix his meal” (9.324). He washes down the human flesh with raw milk (9.334). Odysseus and his men cannot escape the cave due to the enormous stone blocking the entrance, and they cannot kill the cyclops in his sleep for the same reason—they would be trapped in the cave. In the morning, the cyclops bolts down two more men (9.348) and leaves to tend his herds. Odysseus concocts a plan to escape (9.370). Upon his return, the cyclops devours two more of Odysseus’ men, and Odysseus offers the cyclops a strong wine to wash down the “banquet of human flesh” (9.389). The cyclops asks Odysseus’ his name, and Odysseus tells him his name is “Nobody” (9.410). With the cyclops drunk, Odysseus and his men ram a stake into the cyclops’ eye blinding him (9.428). Odysseus and his men escape the cave, but Odysseus tells the cyclops his name (9.560). The book ends with the cyclops asking his father, Poseidon, to curse Odysseus’ journey home and to “let him find a world of pain at home” (9.595).

    1h 20m

  2. AUG 27

    The Odyssey Book Eight: A Day for Songs and Contests

    This week Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Mr. Eli Stone, formerly of the TU Great Books Honors College and now teaching at a classical school, discuss Book VIII of the Odyssey: A Day for Songs and Contests. We have a 50+ page guide to the Odyssey. Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for more resources. From the guide: 42.      What happens in book eight? King Alcinous and Odysseus go to the meeting grounds, as Athena whips up the curiosity of the islanders to come and see the stranger who “looks like a deathless god” (8.16). King Alcinous, still not knowing the identity of his guest, calls for the Phaeacians to prepare a ship to take the stranger home (8.39), and he calls for a feast, a “hero’s welcome” (8.49). As they feast, the bard sings the ballad of “The Strife between Odysseus and Achilles,” a tale from Troy, and Odysseus quietly weeps—unnoticed by all save King Alcinous (8.111). King Alcinous then calls for games, and the young men gather to race, wrestle, box, and throw a discus (8.140). A man named “Broadsea” goads Odysseus into competing, and Odysseus, in his anger, throws a heavy discus farther than any of them (8.116). As a good host, King Alcinous deescalates the situation (8.267), and calls for the Phaeacians to dance (8.284). The bard returns and sings of the story of Aphrodite’s adultery against Hephaestus (8.301). King Alcinous calls for parting gifts for Odysseus, and Broadsea gives the King of Ithaca a bronze sword in amends for his disrespect (8.441). Another feast is held, and Odysseus asks the bard to sing of the wooden horse at Troy (8.552). Odysseus again weeps quietly (8.586), and King Alcinous again notices (8.599). The book ends with the King finally asking Odysseus to reveal his name and his homeland (8.618).[1]  43.      Why does Homer include the myth of Aphrodite’s adultery? Homer dedicates over one hundred lines of poetry to tell the story of “The Love of Ares and Aphrodite Crowned with Flowers” (8.301). First, one may note a shift in the mythology, as Hephaestus was married to a Grace in the Iliad and is now married to Aphrodite in the Odyssey. A myth about adultery in the Odyssey recalls several narratives: the story of Clytemnestra, (Agamemnon’s wife), the narrative of Odysseus with Calypso, and the suitors pursuing Penelope. In a subtle manner, Homer is likely presenting Hephaestus as Odysseus. Notice that that Odysseus mentions his legs are in poor shape, and he cannot race against the Phaeacians (8.260). Odysseus’ poor legs are analogous to the crippled legs of Hephaestus; moreover, Hephaestus is compared to Ares who has “racer’s legs,” like the Phaeacians (8.352). Homer describes Hephaestus overcoming Ares as the “slow outstrips the swift” (8.372) and “the cripple wins by craft” (8.375). If one takes Aphrodite to be Penelope, the myth is a warning to Odysseus that he will overcome the suitors not by swiftness but by craft. Similarly, one could read Aphrodite as Nausicaa and Ares as the Phaeacians; thus, we return to a narrative of Nausicaa being a temptation for Odysseus—but a temptation he could indulge if done by wit and craft. The myth presents certain analogues to Odysseus’ present situation but seems to fall short of presenting a full allegory. [1] Thank you to Mr. Eli Stone who joined us on the podcast to discuss Book 8.

    1h 34m

  3. AUG 20

    The Odyssey Book Seven: Phaeacia’s Halls and Gardens

    This week Dcn. Garlick and Mr. Eli Stone discuss Book Seven of the Odyssey: Phaeacia’s Halls and Gardens. Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for more resources. FROM THE GUIDE: 36.      What happens in book seven? Athena hides Odysseus in a mist and leads him, in the guise of a child, toward the palace (7.17). She reiterates the advice of Nausicaa by telling Odysseus to go to Queen Arete (7.61). Odysseus enters the magnificent palace and throws his arms around the queen’s knees, as Athena withdraws her mist (7.168). Odysseus pleads for mercy and then falls into the ashes underneath the hearth (7.182). All are silent until the old man Echeneus cries out for his king to welcome the stranger (7.185), and King Alcinous, spurred by his subject, welcomes Odysseus with food and drink (7.199). Without asking Odysseus’ name or where he is from, the king convenes the evening and calls for an assembly in the morning to help the stranger return home (7.221). Queen Arete takes Odysseus to his lodgings and is the first to question him about his name and homeland—and where he received his clothes (7.272). Odysseus gives a long answer that finally lands at stating that his clothes are from Nausicaa (7.340). King Alcinous reassures Odysseus that he’ll provide a passage home—but also states he could stay and marry Nausicaa (7.353). Odysseus reiterates his desire to return home (7.379), and the book ends with Odysseus finally finding rest in the house of King Alcinous (7.394).   37.      What is to be made of King Alcinous’ offer to Odysseus to marry Nausicaa? Most notable in book seven is King Alcinous offering Nausicaa in marriage to Odysseus (7.358). The temptation of Nausicaa becomes explicit (Question 33). Note that both King Alcinous and Queen Arete are descendants of Poseidon (7.65), and that the gods come to the island openly due to the people being their “close kin” (7.241).[1] In addition to its divine favor, the island enjoys advanced technology, as the dogs outside King Alcinous’ palace are automatons made by Hephaestus (7.106). The island is, in many ways, a utopia. Odysseus is being asked to restart his life amongst almost perfect mortal happiness. He would be grafted into a family of Poseidon’s mortal descendants (which bears a certain irony given Poseidon’s current wrath) and be married to a beautiful, clever princess, a young Penelope. The offer of King Alcinous is the more natural temptation than that of Calypso, because it is an offer that aligns with the nature of man and his desire for happiness. Notably, Odysseus never seems to acknowledge the offer, but simply expresses his gratitude again for the king’s willingness to take him home (7.379). To what degree the king’s offer has affected Odysseus is a question to keep in mind throughout the rest of the Odyssey. [1] Odyssey, 498, 508.

    1h 21m

  4. AUG 13

    The Odyssey Book Six: The Princess and the Stranger

    Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan are joined by Eli Stone, formerly of the TU Great Books Honors College and now with Holy Family Classical School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to discuss BOOK SIX of the Odyssey: The Princess and the Stranger. Check us out at thegreatbookspodcast.com. From the guide: 32.      What happens in book six? Athena inspires Nausicaa, the daughter of King Alcinous, to go with her handmaids to the river and wash clothes (6.20). Her father grants her permission, and she takes a wagon of clothes to be washed (6.75). As she waits for the clothes to dry, she and her handmaids have a picnic out by the river (6.107). With a little influence from Athena, Odysseus awakes to the sound of the girls playing with a ball (6.130). Odysseus emerges naked, covering himself with a “leafy branch” (6.140)—“a terrible sight, all crusted, caked with brine” (6.151). All the women scatter save Nausicaa in whom Athena has planted courage (6.153). Odysseus tells the princess of his plight (6.163), and she welcomes him as a stranger sent from Zeus (6.227). To avoid scandal, Nausicaa instructs Odysseus on how to enter the city alone, find the queen, and grasp her knees (6.313). The books ends with Nausicaa leaving Odysseus in a sacred grove, and Odysseus praying to Athena (6.352).[1]   33.      Is Nausicaa another temptation for Odysseus, like Calypso? The desire of Nausicaa to be married is a predominate theme in book six and seven. We see Athena state her marriage is “not far off” (6.30); we see Nausicaa be too shy to express her desire for marriage to her father (6.74), but her father sees through his daughter’s coyness and confirms his supports her, i.e., “I won’t deny you anything” (6.77); and we see Nausicaa, after seeing Odysseus glorified by Athena, say: “if only a man like that were called my husband” (6.270). Moreover, the princess is “still a virgin, unwed” (6.121) and compared to the virgin-goddess Artemis (6.113, 165). Her intuition and political savvy are displayed in the narrative of avoiding scandal and how to seek mercy from the queen (6.313). She is arguably presented as a young Penelope: beautiful and clever. The concern is that whereas Calypso represented an unnatural temptation (Question 29), Nausicaa will represent a very natural one for Odysseus. One may note that naked Odysseus emerging to speak to the young girls is presented in predatory language, e.g., “as a mountain lion exultant in his power…” hungry and stalking sheep (6.143). The opening predatory metaphor seemingly stands in contrast with Odysseus’ restraint to not run and hug the knees of Nausicaa (6.161). The main principle of his opening speech to Nausicaa is presented in his earlier internal dialogue of whether the island inhabitants are savages or civilized persons (6.132). Guest-friendship is the sign and standard for civilization (6.133). Odysseus arguably mentions Artemis (6.165), Apollo’s altar in Delos (6.178), the custom of grasping by the knees (6.185), and the need for he, as a stranger, to be welcomed (6.193) to see if she is civilized. Moreover, it also reveals that Odysseus—the strange man emerging from the bushes—is civilized himself.[2] If guest-friendship is the standard for civilization (6.133), then it is one Nausicaa responds to well in both speech and practice (6.227). Those who see Nausicaa as a temptation, point to Odysseus’ flattery of her: “I have never laid eyes on anyone like...

    1h 25m

  5. AUG 6

    The Odyssey Book Five: Calypso's Island with Rewire the West

    Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan are joined by Evan Amato of Rewire the West to discuss Book Five of Odyssey: Odysseus escapes Calypso's Island. Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for a written guide to the Odyssey. A couple questions from the guide: 28.      What happens in book five? King Odysseus is trapped on Calypso’s island. Zeus, at Athena’s pleading, agrees to two proposals: first, Odysseus may leave the captivity of Calypso; and second, Athena may help Telemachus escape the trap set by the suitors (5.24). Hermes, the messenger god, goes and tells Calypso that it is Zeus’ will that Odysseus be set free upon a make-shift raft, and Calypso, though upset, acquiesces to the will of Zeus (5.125, 176).[1] She tells Odysseus he may leave, and he has her promise she is not plotting some new harm against him (5.202). After four days of working on the raft, Odysseus sets sail on the fifth with gifts and provisions from Calypso (5.288). Poseidon, who is returning from Ethiopia, sees Odysseus has left the island and, “it made his fury boil even more” (5.313). Poseidon sends a storm to sink Odysseus (5.321). As he’s being battered by the waves, a goddess of the sea, Ino, pities Odysseus, and tells him to strip off his clothes, tie her scarf around his waist, and swim for land (5.377). Poseidon smashes the raft to pieces (5.403), and Odysseus, with the help of Athena, makes it to the shore (5.471). The book ends with Odysseus falling asleep beneath two olive trees (5.544).[2]   29.      Why does Odysseus refuse Calypso’s offer of immortality? Calypso tells Hermes that she has offered immortality to Odysseus (5.151), and again makes the offer after Odysseus knows he’s free to leave the island (5.230). How can Odysseus refuse immortality? How can a mortal man refuse an immortal life with a beautiful goddess? A subtle clue is found in the opening of book five. It does not repeat the typical line of Dawn and her rosy fingers but instead invokes Dawn’s lover, Tithonus (5.01).[3] It is said that Dawn (Eos) asked Zeus to make her mortal lover, Tithonus, immortal, and Zeus agreed—but Zeus did not grant Tithonus immortal youth. Thus, Tithonus, immortal, continued to age until he “became an old shriveled creature little more than a voice.”[4] Tithonus attempts to graft onto human nature something that is unnatural to it: immortality. As Dr. Patrick Deneen observes: “Tithonus accepts what is unacceptable for mortals to attain, but which is nevertheless clearly tempting to normal mortal desires.”[5] One aspect of the unnaturalness of immortality in man is the necessity for the possibility of death to achieve glory (kleos). It is in facing death that man achieves renown. Without death, what is man? Furthermore, observe how those who are without death, the immortal gods, are presented: imploded personalities, obsessive, petty, and narcissistic. The sinews between man, death, and glory are one to observe, as the story of Odysseus continues to develop. Similarly to Tithonus, we should observe Homer references the goddess Ino who was “a mortal woman once” (5.367). Ino, the sister of Semele, was driven mad by Hera, and she jumped into the sea with her son in her arms. She...

    1h 45m

  6. JUL 30

    The Odyssey Book Four: The King & Queen of Sparta

    This week Adam Minihan returns to discuss Book Four of the Odyssey with Father Bonaventure, OP - a Dominican Friar of the Province of St. Joseph. The out our website for a 50+ page guide to the Odyssey. 23.      What happens in book four? Telemachus arrives in Sparta to find King Menelaus hosting a “double-wedding feast;” as Menelaus’ daughter is marrying the son of Achilles, and Menelaus’ son is marrying a girl from Sparta (4.04). Telemachus and Nestor’s son, Pisistratus, are received warmly (4.68). Though a gracious host, Menelaus still mourns for his brother, Agamemnon (4.103), and for all the men lost in the Trojan war, especially Odysseus (4.120). Menelaus and Helen recognize Telemachus by his likeness to his father (4.131, 158). The next day, Menelaus tells Telemachus of his journey home from Troy (4.391). He and his men were stuck on the island of Pharos (4.396). After wrestling Proteus, the Old Man of the Sea, he is told he failed to offer sacrifices to the deathless gods before leaving Troy (4.530); and now for penance, he must return to Egypt and make a “splendid sacrifice” (4.535). Menelaus asks about the fate of his comrades, and Proteus tells him the stories of little Ajax, Agamemnon, and Odysseus—the last of which is held captive by the sea nymph Calypso (4.627). Menelaus did as the Old Man of the Sea said, and he then returned home to Sparta (4.657).  The narrative shifts to Queen Penelope in Ithaca (4.703). The suitors, led by Antinous, discover Telemachus has taken a ship to Pylos (4.711), and they elect to send out their own ship to ambush him (4.753). Penelope is told Telemachus is gone and that the suitors plan to murder him (4.784). Eurycleia, the old nurse, tells Penelope she helped Telemachus prepare for his departure, and advises the queen to pray to Athena (4.836). Penelope prays to Athena, and Athena sends a phantom of Penelope’s sister to reassure the queen Telemachus is safe (4.930). The book ends with the suitors setting sail to ambush Telemachus (4.947).   24.      What do we observe about the character of Menelaus? Notice that Menelaus agrees to welcome Telemachus and Pisistratus by first recalling all the hospitality he received on his journey home (4.38). He displays a certain gratitude and dare we say humility in passing on what he has received. A similar disposition is found in his piety of not wanting to be compared to Zeus (4.87). The pious but somber Menelaus declares: “So I rule all this wealth with no great joy,” as he recalls the death of his brother, Agamemnon (4.103). Moreover, he seems to lament the entire Trojan war, stating he would have rather stayed home with the wealth he had and the friends he lost at Troy—note, however, the implications of this statement regarding his wife, Helen (4.108). Check out the rest of the guide at thegreatbookspodcast.com.

    52 min

  7. JUL 23

    The Odyssey Book Three: King Nestor Remembers

    Dcn. Harrison Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Mr. Thomas Lackey discuss Book Three of the Odyssey: KING NESTOR REMEMBERS. The lovable old man from the Iliad returns to help set Telemachus on his way. More on Telemachus' coming of age storyWhat power comes to rest on Telemachus?How did Great Ajax die?! (ignobly...)What caused the Achaeans to suffer the wrath of Athena? Check out Dcn. Garlick's 50+ page guide to the Odyssey. What happens in book three? Telemachus arrives in Pylos to find King Nestor sacrificing eighty-one bulls to Poseidon and hosting a feast for forty-five hundred people (3.06). Athena, under the guise of Mentor, encourages Telemachus to speak to Nestor (3.16). Telemachus and Athena are welcomed warmly by Nestor’s son (3.40), and, after their meal, Nestor asks them who they are (3.77). Telemachus asks Nestor for news of his father, Odysseus (3.91), and Nestor recalls the “living hell” of Troy (3.113). Nestor tells Telemachus of the disaster that was the Achaean army returning home from Troy (3.147). Telemachus tells Nestor of the plight of the suitors (3.228), and Nestor tells Telemachus of Athena’s favor for his father, Odysseus—as Athena sits there in the guise of Mentor (3.247). Telemachus asks Nestor to tell the story of how Agamemnon died (3.282), and Nestor tells of how Agamemnon was betrayed by his wife and murdered (3.345). As the conversation turned to returning to Nestor’s halls, Athena, disguised as Mentor, transformed into an eagle and flew away (3.415). Nestor explains to Telemachus what favor he must have with the goddess (3.420) and prepares a splendid sacrifice to Athena in her honor (3.429). He has the heifer’s horns sheathed in gold (3.488), and Athena returns pleased with this sacrifice (3.485). The book ends with them obeying Athena’s orders by preparing a chariot to take Telemachus to Menelaus in Sparta (3.335). Join us as we read the Odyssey in this YEAR OF HOMER.

    1h 7m

  8. JUL 16

    The Odyssey Book Two: Telemachus Sets Sail

    Dcn. Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, and Mr. Thomas Lackey come together to discuss Book Two of the Odyssey: Telemachus sets sail. Summary of the bookDiscussion on key themesAristotle's MetaphysicsJohn Wayne referencesAnd more! Check out our website for 60+ page reader's guide to the Odyssey. What happens in book two? Inspired by Athena, Telemachus addresses the assembly of Ithaca (2.25) and condemns the suitors and invokes the gods against them (2.70). In response, Antinous, a suitor, blames Telemachus’ mother, Penelope, the “matchless queen of cunning” (2.95) for refusing to return to her father’s house and letting him choose for her a new husband (2.125). Thus, the suitors will “devour” Telemachus’ house until a new husband for Penelope is chosen (2.136). Telemachus refuses to tell his mother to return to her father’s house (5.154) and announces he is leaving for Sparta and Pylos to seek news of his father (2.238). Athena, takes on the guise of Mentor—the man Odysseus left in charge of his affairs (2.250)—and reassures him in his mission (2.302). Telemachus has his nurse prepare provisions for his journey and swears her to secrecy (2.384). The book ends with Telemachus setting sail with his crew and pouring out libations to Athena, the goddess with the “flashing sea-gray eyes” (2.472). Click HERE for more resources.

    55 min
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About

Welcome to Ascend! We are a weekly Great Books podcast hosted by Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan. What are the Great Books? The Great Books are the most impactful texts that have shaped Western civilization. They include ancients like Homer, Plato, St. Augustine, Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas, and also moderns like Machiavelli, Locke, and Nietzsche. We will explore the Great Books with the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Why should we read the Great Books? Everyone is a disciple of someone. A person may have never read Locke or Nietzsche, but he or she thinks like them. Reading the Great Books allows us to reclaim our intellect and understand the origin of the ideas that shape our world. We enter a "great conversation" amongst the most learned, intelligent humans in history and benefit from their insights. Is this for first-time readers? YES. Our goal is to host meaningful conversations on the Great Books by working through the texts in chronological order in a slow, attentive manner. Our host Adam Minihan is a first-time reader of Homer. We will start shallow and go deep. All are invited to join. Will any resources be available? YES. We are providing a free 115 Question & Answer Guide to the Iliad written by Deacon Harrison Garlick in addition to our weekly conversations. It will be available on the website (launching next week). Go pick up a copy of the Iliad! We look forward to reading Homer with you in 2024.

Information

  • Creator
    Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan
  • Show Website
    Ascend - The Great Books Podcast

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