Quote:
Originally Posted by DrNefario
The one book I can think of that has so far defeated me is Don Quixote, another mammoth classic. I bought it in around 1994, when I was buying a lot of generously-proportioned cheap classics to try to feed my reading habit cheaply. That's also when I bought and read War and Peace, The Three Musketeers, and some of the Sherlock Holmes books, all as Wordsworth Classics for £1 each. I just couldn't get started on Don Quixote, though. I don't really even know why. I think it was the size of it, coupled with the narrative tone. I didn't think I could face a whole book in that style.
I kept hold of the paperback until very recently, when I finally donated it to charity. If I ever decide to make another attempt, I'm sure I can get a free ebook version.
|
I think for books like
Don Quixote, i.e., honking huge pre-20th century works not written in English, the quality of the translation is critical. The public domain translations can be impossible, translating archaic language and form into archaic language and form. If you're going to do it, it's worth spending the money on a current translation.