Why ‘The Odyssey’ Still Enchants Us. Plus . . .

Welcome back to The Weekend Press! Today, “Little House on the Prairie” passes the test of time with flying colors. Suzy Weiss calls Taylor Swift’s wedding “psychotic.” Two drinks with Joe Allen, messiah of the anti-AI MAGA-ites. And much more!

But first: What kind of story can still unite the world?

There was once a time when we all watched the same shows, read the same books, experienced the same stories. No longer. We live in an age of great abundance, it would take about four years of continuous viewing to watch everything on Netflix, and it’s left the culture fragmented.

But this summer, one of the world’s ultimate stories, one that launched a thousand adaptations, translations, tributes; one that’s been on curricula for centuries; one you’ll know even if you never read it, is coming to a theater near you. Christopher Nolan’s star-studded take on The Odyssey is out Friday. And when we were talking about who we wanted to write about this wildly ambitious, culturally unifying blockbuster, one name was top of the list.

Daniel Mendelsohn started teaching undergraduate seminars on The Odyssey in 2011 at Bard College, where his 81-year-old father decided to attend his course. Six years later, he published a memoir about the experience of reading the epic with a father whose interpretation was constantly at odds with his own. Then, last year, he released a translation of his own, to great acclaim. He, too, can’t get this story out of his head. And we’re delighted to have him in our pages to explain why this story has endured for millennia.

In his piece, he argues that we all see ourselves in its complicated, cunning hero, described, in the epic’s first line, by a word notoriously hard to translate: polytropos. Roughly: “Having many turns.” “Who among us does not dream of travel, exposure to new places and ideas,” writes Daniel, “while simultaneously craving the stability that comes with having a home and security?”

Whereas the conflicts of The Iliad feel foreign, with its brutally violent heroes and gods watching war as we now watch the World Cup, we see in Odysseus the great, eternal, and internal battles of being human. And once you’ve read Daniel’s essay, you’ll see why he’s the perfect protagonist for one of our greatest living moviemakers., The Editors

Second Thought

Taylor Swift has confirmed absolutely nothing about her wedding, except that it happened. But when you invite more than 1,000 people, details are going to get leaked, and Suzy Weiss pounced on them in the latest episode of Second Thought. There was a raffle? One of the prizes was a Chevrolet? They invited the British TV chef Jamie Oliver? Why? Along with her co-host Dan Ahdoot, Suzy unpacks it all. They also discussed the Korean company bringing your dead relatives back to life, and Team USA’s exit from the World Cup, which Suzy doesn’t care for anyway: “The fields are too big and the people are too small.” Don’t miss this hilarious episode. You can watch it below or listen wherever you get your podcasts; and for more Suzy, don’t miss her newsletter.

Knock Knock, It’s Cupid!

A new batch of ads from single Free Pressers is live on our site! Click here to meet a cradle Catholic in Brooklyn, a pop culture savant in Manhattan, or an “accidental professional fundraiser” who likes the outside part of Oreos. Your special someone could be just one email away! If you’d like to take a chance at Free Press love, write a paragraph that defines you, including your age, where you live, and what you’re looking for, and send it over to Cupid@TheFP.com.

We’ve published a lot of stories worth catching up on this week, including Kat Rosenfield’s moving report on the death doula industry and River Page’s wry observations from an anti-tech conference in Brooklyn. Also, Arthur Brooks raised his eyebrows at reports of a Taylor Swift prenup . . .

How should you spend the rest of your weekend? We asked our community manager Ryan Engelhardt for her recommendations . . .

Make . . . Popsicles. Simple, timeless, underrated. Who doesn’t love a cold Popsicle on a hot summer day? Just grab your favorite juice, pour it into a Popsicle mold, freeze, and voilà. If you’re feeling adventurous, mix a few juices together and throw in some fresh fruit. If you need a mold, here’s my favorite on Amazon. Let’s bring back the lost art of the homemade Popsicle.

 Listen . . . to “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones. I’ll forever think this is one of the coolest and most mysterious songs ever written. On the surface, it’s an irresistible groove. But listen closely and you’ll hear a story about history, human nature, and the darkness ordinary people are capable of. The line “I shouted out who killed the Kennedys? / When after all, it was you and me” is pure genius.

 Read . . . the Free Press Forum. The Forum has quickly become one of my favorite corners of the internet. Join thousands of other Free Pressers to dig deeper into articles, share ideas, and discover wisdom and unexpected reasons to smile. Don’t know where to begin? Start by introducing yourself, then add your own recommendations here.

Last but not least: While we wait for Taylor Swift’s wedding photos, behold the fans who were having a party of their own outside the arena.

(Sara Konradi for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

That’s all, folks! Have a great weekend.

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