We’ve got a warrior fleeing the aftermath of war at sea, beset by storms and divine wrath. It’s impossible not to think we’ve been here before, and Virgil makes it explicit with mentions of the Cyclops and Scylla and Charybdis. And yet, very 1984-ishly, the good guys and bad guys have somehow swapped sides and the gods all have new names.
So one ongoing question for me will be just how derivative is Virgil, and does it matter? If he tells a cracking good story in a new idiom? I admit that as an American, I have an emotional horse in this race! This is where I hope Latinandgreek, if she’s up to it, and other classical scholars will give us the benefit of some textual analysis of the original. While I’m going to follow L&g’s lead and download the Latin text from Gutenberg, I can’t pretend that after decades my Latin will be up to anything except getting the swing of the verse and just perhaps picking up on a bit of wordplay.
In the meantime, after the first book, and given that Virgil (as did Homer) has started off in medias res, I can’t wait to see what happens next. And before. Poor Dido!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rkomar
Being a slow reader, I thought I'd start ahead of schedule. I have the English prose version translated by F.W. Jackson Knight, and the introduction by the translator was a bit dull, and left me wondering if I made a mistake by taking this on. Well, now that I've started reading the story, my fear is that I'll gobble the whole thing too quickly. Two books in and I'm well and truly hooked, and can't wait to see what happens next. I can't believe I let this paperback sit on my shelves for twenty-five years without reading it! Thanks for starting this, issybird; you've done me a big favour.  |
So glad! I'm looking forward to the discussion. What do you think about what's happened so far? If someone gets way ahead, it would be nice to use spoiler tags, but within the parameters of the week to week discussion, please have at it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Latinandgreek
I just grabbed a Latin version on Gutenberg and started reading. My doctor has me on bed rest for a few more days, so this will be a great way to pass the time. I read several of the books of the Aeneid during my undergraduate and graduate studies in Latin, but I have never read it all the way through from the beginning, embarrassingly.  |
I hope Virgil helps pass the time and that you're better soon. Thanks for the mention of Gutenberg; I shall hie my way there shortly.