Who’d have thought an epic poem some 2,700 years old could ignite polemics? The current controversy is about Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of “The Odyssey,” but it also goes back to the original work. And it shows that the reactionary right has taken over from the progressive left as the movement obsessed with petty grievances, racial and gender identities, and “politically correct” art.

The silly outrage began a few months ago with the news that Nolan had cast Kenyan Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy — a very minor “Odyssey” character — and the rumor that Elliott Page, a transgender actor, plays Achilles. (In fact, Page plays a different character, a young Greek warrior Odysseus sacrifices for a clever scheme.) A swarm of right-wing social media warriors, led by tycoon Elon Musk, denounced the film as an insidious and even “anti-white” conspiracy to subvert Western culture.

Now, the movie has........

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