Literary A True Story by Lucian of Samosata - Page 2

sun surfer · 08-30-2019, 04:49 AM

I enjoyed it well enough, and thought it definitely heavily used the Odyssey for outline structure and satiric inspiration, such as for instance they visited Calypso's island, and they also visited the underworld that Odysseus and company did, and I also thought maybe the space fighting was, accordingly, somewhat of a satire of the Iliad.

The version I read, The True History Decrypted, had some very strange annotations, lol. It was a smorgasbord of quality. Some were good, and others were so obvious and extraneous as to be funny. At the moment I can't think of examples but I might go find some to post.

fantasyfan · 08-31-2019, 01:38 PM

I would agree with those who feel that an annotated edition is very helpful for making sense of the satire. I can see the influence it had on Swift though I feel that Gulliver’s Travels is far superior. Of course that is in part because I can relate to Swift’s satiric vision more readily than to Lucian’s.

I have read that Lucian’s Dialogues of the Dead is generally regarded his masterpiece. There, the satire is more directed at the human condition itself as being futile. I think I may give that work a try.

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08-30-2019, 04:49 AM	#16
sun surfer languorous autodidact ✦ Posts: 4,235 Karma: 44637926 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: smiling with the rising sun Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage	I enjoyed it well enough, and thought it definitely heavily used the Odyssey for outline structure and satiric inspiration, such as for instance they visited Calypso's island, and they also visited the underworld that Odysseus and company did, and I also thought maybe the space fighting was, accordingly, somewhat of a satire of the Iliad. The version I read, The True History Decrypted, had some very strange annotations, lol. It was a smorgasbord of quality. Some were good, and others were so obvious and extraneous as to be funny. At the moment I can't think of examples but I might go find some to post.

08-31-2019, 01:38 PM	#17
fantasyfan Wizard Posts: 1,368 Karma: 26886344 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Device: Kindle Oasis 3, 4G, iPad Air 2, iPhone IE	I would agree with those who feel that an annotated edition is very helpful for making sense of the satire. I can see the influence it had on Swift though I feel that Gulliver’s Travels is far superior. Of course that is in part because I can relate to Swift’s satiric vision more readily than to Lucian’s. I have read that Lucian’s Dialogues of the Dead is generally regarded his masterpiece. There, the satire is more directed at the human condition itself as being futile. I think I may give that work a try.