Keeping the tradition of oral recitation alive in the age of technological storytelling, the University Classics Club hosted Homerathon, a 15-hour long recital of Homer’s The Odyssey.

The Odyssey is a story about the Greek war-hero and king of Ithaca, Odysseus, on his journey home from the Trojan War. The Odyssey is the sequel to The Iliad, Homer’s other epic. In Homer’s time, the stories were told orally and it was not abnormal for the recitation to take days.

Charles Chiasson, philosophy and humanities associate professor, began Homerathon at approximately 7 a.m. by reciting the first ten lines of The Oyssey in Greek, a tradition that he has done for nearly 20 years.

The Homerathon is a modern-day re-creation of reciting an epic in the manner ancient Athenians would have in public forums. While epics appeal to a very limited crowd, Chiasson said he wants to make it a very fun, lively event that everyone can enjoy no matter their level of interest in classical literature.

“It’s a very goofy college thing that students can do to take their minds off of their final paper,” Chiasson said.

While the number of speakers has been down this year, Chiasson said the quality of the reading has been better than in previous years.

Various University Classics Club members spoke at the event, including passers-by who had a few minutes to spare. Fifty-nine speakers took turns with the 15-minute intervals.

Kristen Thornton, University Classics Club member and philosophy senior, spoke at the Homerathon for two years and said she enjoys the opportunity to express her love for classical literature.

“I love this, especially Greek tragedy. I think it’s a lot of fun, especially if you like The Odyssey,” she said.

Within the past few years, other Texas universities such as Baylor have adopted the Homerathon as a way for students to blow off steam and show their love for classical literature, Chiasson said.

Philosophy sophomore Jaryth Webber said he was a Greek literature enthusiast who took an opportunity to stop by for several 15-minute parts.

“I’m having a good time observing. I think this is cool, and I think it should happen more often,” Webber said.