A quick read and an enjoyable one. Set against Aeschylus' Oresteia, which ends on a triumphant note reaffirming the place of democracy and the rightneA quick read and an enjoyable one. Set against Aeschylus' Oresteia, which ends on a triumphant note reaffirming the place of democracy and the rightness of the people (for a certain fifth-century Athenian value of "people"), this Oresteia dissolves into meaningless chaos, only to be resolved in the most unsatisfying of ways. That isn't particularly a critique--I think Euripides meant for his Orestes to be unsatisfying--and the way law and order unravels throughout the three plays (and over the course of the fifth century BCE) is powerful and thought-provoking.
I like Carson as a poet and this is a lovely little read. I do wonder how the initial performance was received--apparently this Oresteia was designed for the stage. I haven't compared Carson's translations against the other translations of Agamemnon and Elektra with which I'm familiar, but some minor details don't seem to line up; whether that's deviation on Carson's part or usage of different textual amendments I'm not sure.
Regardless, I enjoyed this. I still enjoy Sophocles the most as a writer, I think, and his Elektra being the middle act linchpin of the trilogy works well. I'd say it's definitely more on the side of a literary translation than a scholarly one (though Carson is a formidable scholar as well) and I think that makes these translations more readable than some which are trying to be both. I overall liked it a lot....more
I love Boin's project of trying to give voice to marginalized peoples in antiquity, and some of the historical information was new to me, but I think I love Boin's project of trying to give voice to marginalized peoples in antiquity, and some of the historical information was new to me, but I think the book is too unfocused to be truly successful. It's laid out in roughly chronological order, but establishing information about Roman culture or medieval legacy means Boin is forced to jump back and forth in time in a way that I think would be confusing for a reader not reasonably familiar with the broad strokes of Roman history. Furthermore, while I appreciate the attempt to recalibrate Roman sources to be more nuanced toward the complex multitudes that were the Gothic peoples, I think the later chapters fail to address the claims of Gothic violence in the Italian peninsula prior to the 410 sack of Rome.
That said Boin's prose is easy to read and often thoughtful, even if sometimes I think modern conceptions of tolerance are used a little too uncritically. The sources, in my opinion, reasonably fairly assessed (Boin is cautious in his use of both Zosimus and Jordanes even as he does use them both amply) and the work also discusses the architectural record and material culture in a way that felt nicely interdisciplinary. There's also a fair amount of accessible historiography, which I found useful.
That said, Alaric the Goth suffers a bit from neither being fish nor foul--a little too scholarly rigorous and information-dense for the average reader, and a bit too light on in-depth discussion for scholars. I think it represents a step in the right direction in the genre of "scholars writing popular history," but I think it could have benefited from better organization. Also, my edition did not contain a map, and while I have the rough geography of the area around the Danube in my head, I think it would've been beneficial to have that as a reference. ...more
This is really a pretty ambitious book, and Wang deserved more pages to fully realize that ambition. The concept is excellent, some of the writing is This is really a pretty ambitious book, and Wang deserved more pages to fully realize that ambition. The concept is excellent, some of the writing is lovely, I am very much here for the art, and I loved the classic anime homages, but it doesn't quite cohere. It doesn't feel like there's really an arc--the story ends where it begins more or less, at least emotionally. I think with more time and space this could've been really amazing; as is it's just pretty neat. Still, Wang is definitely a creator to watch....more
A solid conclusion to this duology, though I think some of Oak's charm is lost in the miasma of his confused PoV. Absolutely in love with this derangeA solid conclusion to this duology, though I think some of Oak's charm is lost in the miasma of his confused PoV. Absolutely in love with this deranged couple, though I feel absolutely no desire to read the accompanying trilogy; while I liked Cardan and Jude fine, I didn't find them particularly compelling.
That said, while again Wren and Oak's relationship really worked for me, Oak's relationship with his family felt ... hm. There's a kind of conflict avoidance with regard to families that I find recurrent in Black's writing, and I very much find it off putting for reasons that might say more about me than Black. There's setup for a truly difficult reckoning for Oak and his family, but it never actually comes. Things resolve pretty easily and I wish it had been messier. Similarly, the falling action is a bit abrupt, and I wish Black had given us a little more time to breathe (and spent maybe a bit less time setting up sequel bait).
That said, I liked it a lot! I plan to pick up the duo, even if I'm not particularly interested in the larger world. This was my first time diving back into easy, engaging fantasy and it was a pretty good dive all told....more
Easy to devour, and in the process of doing so easy to forgive some of the more obvious flaws. No notes on Wren & Oak's relationship--absolutely fabulEasy to devour, and in the process of doing so easy to forgive some of the more obvious flaws. No notes on Wren & Oak's relationship--absolutely fabulous, tailor-made for me--but the twist is excruciatingly obvious and that throws the pacing a bit off. Also the supporting cast is pretty weak--I never really got much of a feel for Tiernan's character, even though he's very present in the story. This is certainly my favorite Holly Black since the Curse Workers trilogy though; I'm glad my friend vetted it because I forgot how much I can enjoy her writing....more
A fantastic story somewhat hobbled by a patently baffling romance. There are chapters of this novel that are truly transcendent--especially when the lA fantastic story somewhat hobbled by a patently baffling romance. There are chapters of this novel that are truly transcendent--especially when the lens zooms out a little, and we see the futility and absurdity and horrible violence of the whole thing. The prose is crisp and easy to read but for the heavily metaphorical sex scenes. Maria is a baffling character--I under the narrative function of her, but as an actual person she feels like every joke about a Man Writing A Woman personified. I liked Jordan as a character, a man who has compartmentalized to the point he's hardly able to feel anything, and who finds himself unraveling along with his mission. I think Pilar is the standout in terms of character work, frankly.
The book makes some odd choices, like Hemingway's use of "thee" and "thou" vs. "you" to signify the formal/informal registers of speech (though "thou" seems to function as formal, which is as I understand backward; I wonder if Hemingway knew that and I misread or what, but it makes it a bit confusing). I was able to kind of go with with most of the time, and the use of "obscenity" for actual obscenities was funny to me. I think it might read as a bit awkward and offputting for others.
But I also think the book is an exercise in trying to communicate how a non-native Spanish speaker is experiencing the world around him. I'd probably need to read more about that to really make that argument coherently, but it very much feels for the reader as if there's a language barrier.
Despite it all I cried at one part and felt gutted by the end, which I think is a mark of its efficacy, at least for me. For Whom The Bell Tolls occurs over a very short timespan, but it's a rather thick book, and the pace might be described as "plodding" (it wasn't, for me, because I entered with the knowledge that the whole thing was going to go wrong; waiting to see how created plenty of tension). It's also replete with all the -isms of Hemingway's day, and probably some of Hemingway's own unique baggage. I'm not sure if it's a great war novel, and it's not my personal favorite of what I've read by Hemingway, but I liked it a lot and it felt revelatory about people thrust into a civil war....more
There's a certain type of joy in reading history written in this era, when methodology was fairly rigorous but authors were free to be a little coy abThere's a certain type of joy in reading history written in this era, when methodology was fairly rigorous but authors were free to be a little coy about their subject matter. R.R. Palmer's Twelve Who Ruled is a very good example of this kind of historical writing, and it was truly a joy to read because of it--this was my vacation book, and I found myself staying up late to finish a chapter several times.
I picked this up for a couple reasons, one of them being that the Reign of Terror is very poorly taught or studied in the US school system, so I wished to fix a gap in my knowledge, and partly because I've been increasingly interested in the French Revolution after reading The Coming of the French Revolution by Georges Lefebvre (which, incidentally, was translated by Palmer). Twelve Who Ruled showed up on multiple suggested bibliographies as both rigorous and readable, and I'd say both of these estimates are true.
In terms of readability, I might have a slightly skewed sense of these things, but Palmer's humor, sense of pacing, and sense of character for these figures is truly a strength. Aside from a couple chapters that tended to plod (the chapter, on the missions to Brittany and the one on the economy retread well-traveled ground temporally and I also find economic history fairly trying) it was a difficult-to-put-down book and almost felt like a novel. Palmer is an incisive judge of these men, usually even-handed and willing to dig into the knots of the idealism, fanaticism, and paranoia that eventually brought them low.
In terms of rigor I can't judge very well since I'm not well-versed in the subject, but aside from one or two moments, very few passages pinged me as off. Palmer is sometimes a little distracted in finding parallels and precedents for the dictatorships of the mid-20th century, but given that this book came out in 1941 I can hardly blame him. From the preface I understand that he revised the text in the 80s to omit some of these comparisons, but it remains a preoccupation of the text.
There's something to be said, also, that it is very much (by Palmer's own admission) a "history from above" and that conveys in his focus on the ruling class. There's some disdain for the peasantry and the sans culottes that felt unkind (and perhaps reflective of a disdain for populism in Palmer's own time). I again can't say if it's unfair though, just that I noticed. I also think that Palmer makes his case very well with his use of sources, though it is of course frustrating to try to check any of those sources because this book was written largely without citation.
Overall I'd recommend this book as both entertaining and informative, even if it can be rather grim. I absolutely had a great time reading it, and I've added an increasing amount of books to my to-reads based off Palmer's bibliographic note....more
Very readable and pretty approachable, though I think a few more maps might've been valuable and the image quality in the book wasn't ideal. My primarVery readable and pretty approachable, though I think a few more maps might've been valuable and the image quality in the book wasn't ideal. My primary critique is that it could've been both longer and more in-depth, but I know that's decidedly against the idea of Oxford's Very Short Introduction series. Overall a solid primer that raises more questions than it answers, but again, that's generally the function of these books....more
This is the literary equivalent of a docudrama, one of those half-acted, half-interview film pieces that are informative with a bit of entertaining flThis is the literary equivalent of a docudrama, one of those half-acted, half-interview film pieces that are informative with a bit of entertaining flair. Pick is clearly a fantastic scholar, and Pilgrimage is filled with valuable, vivid information. However, while Pilgrimage has the shape of a novel, it doesn't read like a novel. The dialogue is explanatory and stilted and the PoV can't quite decide whether it's a close or an omniscient third.
It's a pity, because the actual plot could be really, really fantastic in the hands of a more able fiction writer. I liked Gebirga as a character, though the plot beats of her story were readily apparent from the very opening of it. I think Pick should have really worked to write her as blind rather than relying on an omniscient perspective when she wanted to describe the visuals. Similarly, the book takes an extremely long time to actually leave Flanders, which became somewhat tiresome as I waited for the titular pilgrimage to actually begin....more
I'm not sure if this book is good, precisely, but Lestat is such The Character for me that I really cannot rate it intelligibly outside of that. I lovI'm not sure if this book is good, precisely, but Lestat is such The Character for me that I really cannot rate it intelligibly outside of that. I love how wildly it careens between campy absurdity and brutal, truthfully rendered feeling. I love how cheesy and horrible and loving and messy Lestat is. Just a delight, to be quite honest....more
I'd read this before but I came back to it when trying to formulate an essay on Nietzsche's On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life, andI'd read this before but I came back to it when trying to formulate an essay on Nietzsche's On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life, and the two converse quite nicely. The writing is lovely, of course, and discussions are valuable. There's something to be said about the thematic pederasty in the play, and I think its heightened tone excuses sexual assault in a way that's hard to square even two decades later, but I can't discard it for that alone. I do think the ending of the play handles it a bit better than the ending of the film (as I recall it; it's been quite a while at this point). I'll probably return to this play again. It's thoughtful and illuminating, and I love Alan Bennett's writing....more
This is history as I most enjoy it, though I do agree with other reviewers that without a general sense of the time period it would be a bit impenetraThis is history as I most enjoy it, though I do agree with other reviewers that without a general sense of the time period it would be a bit impenetrable. As repackaged lectures, the book is fairly approachable, though of course Brown's writing is fairly dense and his word choice can sometimes feel perhaps excessively erudite. Still, I enjoyed it a lot, insomuch as one enjoys reading this kind of piece....more
This book is useful for clarifying one's own thoughts concerning historical practice, though the earlier half is more valuable than the later, as a loThis book is useful for clarifying one's own thoughts concerning historical practice, though the earlier half is more valuable than the later, as a lot of the middle content is (relatively entertaining) mockery of Hegel and his inheritors. The translation itself is clunky at times, though arguably that is entailed in loyalty to Nietzsche's writing style. I liked it, generally speaking, and I think the historical categorizations Nietzsche offers are valuable, but I also don't think they're necessarily complete....more
I really enjoyed this work, though I think it would be a fairly challenging read without a somewhat solid overview of French history going into it. I I really enjoyed this work, though I think it would be a fairly challenging read without a somewhat solid overview of French history going into it. I think Lefebvre does a very compelling job of looking at the different motivations (and, even, different overlapping revolutions) that all fed into the events of 1789. That said, there are some odd gaps in Lefebvre's analysis; for instance, women are oddly absent, and when they do appear Lefebvre is oddly dismissive of their actions.
Also worth noting: my edition contained a final two paragraphs that were initially omitted by R.R. Palmer in his initial translation, that situates the book far more firmly within its historical milieu....more
I may have given this an extra star solely because I read Masters of Death right when I needed to read something fun, frothy, dramatic, and ultimatelyI may have given this an extra star solely because I read Masters of Death right when I needed to read something fun, frothy, dramatic, and ultimately hopeful. I found it a light and easy read, and any difficulties with comprehending Blake's metaphysics was easy enough to move past, because the book, which is all about cycles, moves in a circular path.
I certainly do have critiques. While Blake is exceptionally good at characterizing her cast with a few broad strokes, I don't think the cast necessarily needed to be as large as it was (e.g. as much as I enjoyed Marya, she and Cal did not seem to meaningfully add much to the plot). Because of the size of the cast, certain character beats are rather abbreviated. For instance, while I liked the trajectory of Viola & Tom's relationship, it did not feel as earned as it could have.
Probably my biggest problem with the story is how ungrounded in history the flashback sequences felt. This really wasn't a dealbreaker, because I wasn't in it for a grounded portrayal of 19th century Germany, but it did make some of the sections feel decidedly odd. I never felt a good sense of which immortal characters were appreciably older than others, and I feel like that could have been interesting, but it also was very much not the point of the book thus I am noting it but otherwise giving it a pass.
That said, the emotional core of the story is absolutely one tailor-made for me and I cannot overstate how much it delighted me again and again. Furthermore, the ultimate thematic ending of the story really could have been twee, but I found it really lovely and well-rendered. Overall my eternal gratitude to my good friend who slyly handed this book to me when I was lamenting my inability to engage with a fictional world. I feel energized and hopeful....more
There are a lot of useful comments about how The Burial at Thebes is more a version than a translation, and that holds with my experiences. I picked iThere are a lot of useful comments about how The Burial at Thebes is more a version than a translation, and that holds with my experiences. I picked it up because it, along with Anne Carson's Antigonick, received a very intriguing mention in the forward to the translation of Antigone featured in The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. It's part of my brief tour in modern adaptations and retellings of the Antigone story, along with Jean Anouilh's WII-era Antigone. Heaney's take is the least inventive of the three and takes the fewest liberties with the story. His poetry is clean and lovely and easy to read. Creon comes off worse here than in the Nisetich translation featured in my ombibus of Greek Plays; compared with Anouilh's apologia it's very refreshing.
There's something to be said for Heaney's desire to translate not necessarily the poetic nuances of the play, but rather give a sense of poetic form. There's an interesting afterward that talks about meter, and I very much enjoyed the insight to Heaney's thinking.
Overall, I liked the verse in here. I think Heaney's a terrific poet. I also think The Burial at Thebes does have its own niche (as a modern adaptation for viewing on stage; it is very neat) but isn't particularly transformative or scholarly....more
The prose in here is lovely (even in translation), and Anouilh does some fascinating things with metanarrative. I liked reading it, though I also feltThe prose in here is lovely (even in translation), and Anouilh does some fascinating things with metanarrative. I liked reading it, though I also felt. Hm. The version of the text I read had a very extensive background section, and some of the notes the authors made gave me pause. There's definitely a lot of political commentary going on here, and I wasn't sure what to make of it.
It's the inverse of Sophocles, in some ways. Creon is presented as sympathetic and practical, though there's a very inviting against-the-grain reading that makes Creon a blowhard that believes he's doing what's necessary but really acting in a self-serving manor. I don't really think that's Anouilh's intent, but I think that's a compelling way you could stage it....more
There are some absolutely stunning lines in here, and the text truly is transformative. Carson's poetry is beautiful, for the most part, though there'There are some absolutely stunning lines in here, and the text truly is transformative. Carson's poetry is beautiful, for the most part, though there's one or two points where I feel the lines get away from her and she could've gone for a more restrained tone. Antigonick is very interested in how the story itself has been received, as seen by the integration of Hegel & Brecht into the narrative. I've seen a lot of negative reviews in that aspect, which I understand, but I almost feel as if Carson could've pushed the narrative even harder towards reception--in Carson's introduction, she mentions many more iterations of the story. I think if she was going to go weird she should've gone weirder.
The other aspect of Antigonick that is really brought out is the aspect of time. The falling action happens rapidly in the original, and Carson highlights that both by the inclusion of Nick, a silent character (who measures things) and through the words of the chorus. Kreon's positionality is completely inverted in a matter of moments. I haven't read an exhaustive amount of adaptations of this story, but I have read a few, and I thought Carson's interest in time felt new and exciting.
All that said, the language is just lovely. Carson's text feels even briefer than Heaney's pared-down translation/adaptation and it feels more like poetry-to-be-read-on-the-page than poetry-to-be-performed. That's how I think it's best encountered, and as an encounter it's an excellent one. Critiques aside, I very much enjoyed it....more