The Mabinogion is a collection of medieval Welsh tales, thought to have been compiled between the 12th and 13th centuries. These stories are among theThe Mabinogion is a collection of medieval Welsh tales, thought to have been compiled between the 12th and 13th centuries. These stories are among the oldest prose literature of Britain and contain a blend of Celtic mythology, folklore, and Arthurian legend. Composed originally in Middle Welsh, The Mabinogion encompasses eleven tales that fall into four main branches and other stories, each unique but often linked through themes of heroism, magic, and transformation.
The "Four Branches of the Mabinogi" – Pwyll, Branwen, Manawydan, and Math – are the core tales, exploring the lives, trials, and mystical adventures of Welsh princes and gods. These stories include figures from Welsh mythology including Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed, and the magical hero Pryderi facing challenges that bridge the worlds of the living and the supernatural.
In addition to the core branches, The Mabinogion includes stories like The Dream of Macsen Wledig, Culhwch and Olwen, and The Lady of the Fountain, which incorporate otherworldly quests, romance, and heroic deeds. Notably, several tales contain early references to King Arthur and his knights. It's my understanding that the version of King Arthur presented in The Mabinogion probably predates the version by Geoffrey of Monmouth.
I respect this collection of stories for its antiquity, but I did not particularly enjoy listening to the audio of the text. Therefore I gave it two stars....more
An uninvited guest (dressed in green) crashes the Christmas party at Camelot and proposes a crazy game. He says (I'm paraphrasing) chop my head off anAn uninvited guest (dressed in green) crashes the Christmas party at Camelot and proposes a crazy game. He says (I'm paraphrasing) chop my head off and in one year later let me chop your head off. So Sir Gawain chops his head off. The guy picks his head up off the ground, gets on his horse, and rides away.
Do I have your attention yet? It's heck of a way to begin the story. I wonder if Washington Irving got his idea for a headless horseman from this book.
So a year later Sir Gawain visits a castle on his way to meet the green knight. The king of the castle says (I'm paraphrasing) I'll leave the castle for the day and will leave you here alone with my wife. Implicitly, he can do anything he wants with the wife, and the wife's behavior is seductive. This happens three days in a row. Sir Gawain of course behaves properly, and only accepts a kiss.
So later when Sir Gawain meets the green knight he survives his blow. But Sir Gawain is embarrassed because he secretly carried a charmed sash from the king's wife.
So the point of the story? If you're pure (i.e. you don't yield to sexual temptation) you'll be magically protected from harm. Also, tell the truth (i.e. don't secretly carry a charmed sash).
Those people in medieval times had strange stories....more
This review is of the first seventeen chapters of this book which has a total of fifty-four chapters. This was the scope of assigned reading for our bThis review is of the first seventeen chapters of this book which has a total of fifty-four chapters. This was the scope of assigned reading for our book group in order to keep it at a reasonable length. The complete book is about 1,500 pages (72 hours audio).
If this story were set in today's world it would be an example of #MeToo on steroids. But it was written and takes place in Japan around the year 1000 (long before #MeToo), and it describes typical male behavior when given (almost) unlimited power and influence. The main character Genji is a son of the Emperor and favorite concubine. He is not in the line of succession, but he nevertheless is favored by the Emperor. His combination of good looks and protection of the Emperor makes him a man to whom you can't say "no."
This novel's account of Genji's life concentrates on his romantic life and describes the customs of Japanese aristocratic society of the time. Genji has a habit of sneaking into the beds of women at night and having his way with them, and in one case impregnates a wife of the Emperor. The subsequent son born from this encounter eventually ascends to become Emperor. Even though Genji is not in line of succession he is son of an Emperor and ends up being the biological father of an Emperor.
The first eleven chapters tell of his younger years when his sexual exploits were greatest. By chapter eleven he gets caught in the wrong bed at the wrong time and is forced to go into exile for several years. Chapters twelve and thirteen are about those exile years, but in Chapters fourteen to seventeen he's back in the Palace of Kyoto with all his former power. In these later chapters he is older and perhaps less wild because he is now checking to make sure all his former girl friends are taken care of.
The following excerpt from Chapter Eighteen is an example of the reputation Genji had developed. He was trying to get Akashi, one of his mistresses, to come stay at the Palace, but she is reluctant to do so because of his reputation.
He wrote frequently to Akashi and many times begged her to come up to the Capital. But she had heard so many stories of how others had suffered at his hands—how he had again and again toyed with the affections not only of humble creatures such as herself, but of the greatest ladies in the land, only to cast them aside a few months later with the most callous indifference. Surely it would be foolish not to take warning. If this was his conduct towards person of rank and influence, what sort of treatment could she, a friendless girl, expect? What part could she hope to play save the humiliating one of a foil to the young princess who was Genji's lawful bride?
It's my understanding that the story goes on from there with no particular plot other than everybody is growing older and by the time the reader reaches the end it's about the third generation descendants of Genji.
This novel dating from circa AD 160 is the only novel of that era written in Latin that has survived in its entirety. Thus it's a unique glimpse into This novel dating from circa AD 160 is the only novel of that era written in Latin that has survived in its entirety. Thus it's a unique glimpse into second century life and humor. The story's narrative tells of the adventures of one Lucius who's curiosity leads him to experiment with some magic potions and inadvertently turns himself into a donkey.
In the form of an ass he proceeds to pass through the possession of a series of owners including robber bandits, religious fraudsters, spoiled boys, and others. This produces a series of what in effect are a series of short stories in which the donkey is repeatedly faced with impending doom such as being butchered and/or castrated. The story includes lustful moments that only a man in the guise of an ass could fully appreciate, such as being ridden by a beautiful young woman or even sexual congress with a horny woman.
Portions of the book's narrative could be classified as porn. Its intent seems to be a satire of human appetites including several examples of unfaithful wives. I saw one description of the book as being a bawdypicaresque novel.
That's a good description until the final chapter in which the protagonist is so thankful to Isis for being changed back into a human that he joins the mystery cult of Isis. That's followed by joining two more religious cults. This last chapter came across as a sober promotion of the merits of religious cults. The last chapter seemed to me to have a different tone from the rest of the book, but perhaps to a second century reader it would have also been satirical.
It's interesting to note that the author in his real life was once legally charged with using magic to win the affections of a wealthy women. That almost sounds like one of the stories in this book! He also was initiated into several religious cults, so it would seem that portions of this book are autobiographical—excepting the donkey part.
Since the book was written in the middle of the second century I wondered if the story would include any recognition of the new cult of Christianity. The author was obviously interested in religion, but apparently he wasn't sufficiently impressed with this new variation on Judaism to include any reference to it....more
This book is first of a five volume English translation of a Chinese classic, Dream of the Red Chamber (a.k.a. The Story of the Stone) composed by CaoThis book is first of a five volume English translation of a Chinese classic, Dream of the Red Chamber (a.k.a. The Story of the Stone) composed by Cao Xueqin. It generally considered as one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. It was written sometime in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty, and the setting of the story is early in the 18th century.
This book was selected by Great Books KC group as our exposure to non-western literature for the year 2016. At the time Dream of the Red Chamber was selected for our schedule we didn't realize how long the complete work is. The Story of the Stone (1973–1980), the first eighty chapters translated by Hawkes and last forty by John Minford, consists of five volumes and 2,339 pages of actual core text (not including Prefaces, Introductions and Appendices). Total page count is 2,572. Our group decided to limit our discussion to the first volume as a more manageable reading assignment. I have no intention of completing the other four volumes any time in the foreseeable future.
It's my understanding that the complete story is about the beginning grandeur and eventual decline of the aristocratic Jia family clan. As indicated by its title, The Golden Days, this first volume is focused on the beginning prosperous years. The book provides a detailed insight into wealthy Chinese cultural life of the time and the story's narrative includes frequent use of poetry.
But this novel lays out a sprawling story line with numerous characters with names impossible for western readers to remember or pronounce. This is combined with excruciating details which at times can be beautiful, but overall becomes a heavy forest of words for the reader to slog through. Frankly, I didn't appreciate the experience very much. If I feel this way after the first volume I hate to imagine how I would feel should I manage to complete all five volumes.
Njáls saga is a 13th century Icelandic saga that describes events between the years 960 to 1020. It deserves respect because of its antiquity. But I fNjáls saga is a 13th century Icelandic saga that describes events between the years 960 to 1020. It deserves respect because of its antiquity. But I found it be a challenge to get through.
It is a long collection of stories about "so-and-so" of "such-and-such" family killing "so-and-so" of "such-and-such" family. The names were all exotic to my English language ears; thus it all passed through my memory as a blur. In this regard it reminded me of my reaction to the Iliad. However this book is much longer than the Iliad. It seemed to go on forever.
The importance of vengeance as a defense of family honor is a prominent theme in the saga. One description I thought of for the book was "Hatfield-MaCoy with swords." Insults involving a character's manliness are especially prominent in the saga. Also, fate and omens figure prominently in the stories.
At the very end there is a description of reconciliation. But based on the earlier stories the reader has to wonder how long that will last.
In my opinion if you don't have a special interest in Icelandic history and literature, don't read this book. However, I can see some lessons of human nature in the stories, so perhaps a researcher of gang warfare in modern cities could find source material here. ...more
Bhagavad Gita broadcasts its message in the center of the battlefield. The choice of such an unholy ambience for the deliveThis review is not finished
Bhagavad Gita broadcasts its message in the center of the battlefield. The choice of such an unholy ambience for the delivery of a philosophical discourse has been an enigma to many commentators. Several modern Indian writers have interpreted the battlefield setting as an allegory of "the war within"....more
If I were the publisher’s editor during the Islamic Golden Age (8th to 13th centuries) during the time when these stories were being compiled into a TIf I were the publisher’s editor during the Islamic Golden Age (8th to 13th centuries) during the time when these stories were being compiled into a Tale of 1001 Nights, I would have strongly recommended that it be pared down to 101 Nights. 1001 is too many. These three volumes (2008 edition by Penguin Classics) are in essence 270 short stories divided into 1001 sessions to fit the setting of the woman named Scheherazade telling a story per night with tantalizing incomplete endings in order to keep her bloody handed husband/king from killing her.
The three volumes total 2,784 pages. Any reader who manages to make it through to the end of the collection will find that their memory of the stories will be muddled and mixed because of their similar themes and motifs. Most books of short stories can have the same effect on a reader, but it’s worse in this case because of the large number of stories.
The experience of taking time to read all of this three volume set is something I can’t recommend to others. I was obligated to give it a try because I was a member of a reading group that decided to discuss the Arabian Nights in three meetings during the summer months of 2013. I managed to read only parts of Volume 1, none of Volume 2 (I was out of town), and with extra effort (and listening to audio) I managed to get through Volume 3.
This collection of stories does provide a glimpse into Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales of the 8th to 13th centuries. Since all my reading was in the first and third volumes I can offer some generalizations about the differences I noticed between the early and late stories. The earlier stories are shorter, less complex and contain fewer references to religion. The later stories are mostly longer and more religious. One story in Volume 3 takes up to 31 nights to get the story told. And Volume 3 is steeped in praise of the Muslim religion. As a matter of fact some of the stories in Volume 3 go out of their way to make it clear that the Christians (i.e. the Franks) are the bad guys and the Moslems are the good guys.
Here's a summary of the nights per story for the three volumes:
Volume 1: 74 stories over 294 nights for an average of 3.9 nights/story Volume 2: 158 stories over 425 nights for an average of 2.7 nights/story Volume 3: 38 stories over 282 nights for an average of 7.4 nights/story
At my book club it was pointed out that there is a story in Volume 2 that is almost exactly the same as another story in Volume 3. Again this indicates lack of an editor to correct this sort of thing.
One little detail which is probably left out of the children's version of these stories is the fact that 1001 nights is sufficient time to get pregnant three times and have three children by the end of all these stories. That is exactly what happens in this book. So the king was doing more than listening to the stories. Scheherazade must have been quite a woman to be able to not miss a night, and apparently deliver her babies without her husband noticing because at the end of the book the king seems to have not been previously aware of the existence of his children.
The following are some comments about this edition of the Arabian Nights taken from Wikipedia:
“In 2008 a new English translation was published by Penguin Classics in three volumes. It is translated by Malcolm C. Lyons and Ursula Lyons with introduction and annotations by Robert Irwin. This is the first complete translation of the Macnaghten or Calcutta II edition (Egyptian recension) since Sir Richard Burton. It contains, in addition to the standard text of 1001 Nights, the so-called "orphan stories" of Aladdin and Ali Baba as well as an alternative ending to The seventh journey of Sindbad from Antoine Galland's original French. As the translator himself notes in his preface to the three volumes, "No attempt has been made to superimpose on the translation changes that would be needed to 'rectify' ... accretions, ... repetitions, non sequiturs and confusions that mark the present text," and the work is a "representation of what is primarily oral literature, appealing to the ear rather than the eye". The Lyons translation includes all the poetry, omitted in some translations, but does not attempt to reproduce in English the internal rhyming of some prose sections of the original Arabic.”
The following excerpt from Wikipedia seems to indicate that Arabian Nights is given more attention within Western Literature than found in the study of Arabic culture and literature:
“There is little evidence that the Nights was particularly treasured in the Arab world. It is rarely mentioned in lists of popular literature and few pre-18th century manuscripts of the collection exist. Fiction had a low cultural status among Medieval Arabs compared with poetry, and the tales were dismissed as khurafa (improbable fantasies fit only for entertaining women and children). According to Robert Irwin, "Even today, with the exception of certain writers and academics, the Nights is regarded with disdain in the Arabic world. Its stories are regularly denounced as vulgar, improbable, childish and, above all, badly written."
I guess the above indicates that Western Literature has lower standards than Arabic Literature. I actually agree with the last sentence of the above quotation.
The following short review (of another edition) of this book is from the 2007 PageADay Book Lover's Calendar:
Fiction Classics For swashbuckling heroes, star-crossed lovers, daring thieves, and a little magic, you can’t do much better than The Arabian Nights. The best of Shahrazad’s wonderful stories are here in Richard Burton’s classic translation. Some tales will ring bells (“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” “Alaeddin”), but others will be new and fresh (“The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad”). The romance, mystery, and wonder of the ancient Near East come alive in fables that still enchant. THE ARABIAN NIGHTS: TALES FROM A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, translated by Sir Richard F. Burton; introduced by A. S. Byatt (1885-88; Modern Library, 2001) _____________ Here's a trivia question taken from the November 21, 2016 PageADay Book Lover's Calendar: Q: True or false: None of the three most famous tales from the Arabian Nights actually comes from the original book. Answer: True. The stories of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Sinbad the Sailor, and Aladdin were later additions to the original opus. ____________ The following link is to an excerpt from the book "Naming of Parts -- or not" which explains the history of "The Arabian Nights." https://mailchi.mp/delanceyplace.com/......more
If I were the publisher’s editor during the Islamic Golden Age (8th to 13th centuries) during the time when these stories were being compiled into a TIf I were the publisher’s editor during the Islamic Golden Age (8th to 13th centuries) during the time when these stories were being compiled into a Tale of 1001 Nights, I would have strongly recommended that it be pared down to 101 Nights. 1001 is too many. These three volumes (2008 edition by Penguin Classics) are in essence 270 short stories divided into 1001 sessions to fit the setting of the woman named Scheherazade telling a story per night with tantalizing incomplete endings in order to keep her bloody handed husband/king from killing her.
The three volumes total 2,784 pages. Any reader who manages to make it through to the end of the collection will find that their memory of the stories will be muddled and mixed because of their similar themes and motifs. Most books of short stories can have the same effect on a reader, but it’s worse in this case because of the large number of stories.
The experience of taking time to read all of this three volume set is something I can’t recommend to others. I was obligated to give it a try because I was a member of a reading group that decided to discuss the Arabian Nights in three meetings during the summer months of 2013. I managed to read only parts of Volume 1, none of Volume 2 (I was out of town), and with extra effort (and listening to audio) I managed to get through Volume 3.
This collection of stories does provide a glimpse into Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales of the 8th to 13th centuries. Since all my reading was in the first and third volumes I can offer some generalizations about the differences I noticed between the early and late stories. The earlier stories are shorter, less complex and contain fewer references to religion. The later stories are mostly longer and more religious. One story in Volume 3 takes up to 31 nights to get the story told. And Volume 3 is steeped in praise of the Muslim religion. As a matter of fact some of the stories in Volume 3 go out of their way to make it clear that the Christians (i.e. the Franks) are the bad guys and the Moslems are to good guys.
Here's a summary of the nights per story for the three volumes:
Volume 1: 74 stories over 294 nights for an average of 3.9 nights/story Volume 2: 158 stories over 425 nights for an average of 2.7 nights/story Volume 3: 38 stories over 282 nights for an average of 7.4 nights/story
At my book club it was pointed out that there is a story in Volume 2 that is almost exactly the same as another story in Volume 3. Again this indicates lack of an editor to correct this sort of thing.
One little detail which is probably left out of the children's version of these stories is the fact that 1001 nights is sufficient time to get pregnant three times and have three children by the end of all these stories. That is exactly what happens in this book. So the king was doing more than listening to the stories. Scheherazade must have been quite a woman to be able to not miss a night, and apparently deliver her babies without her husband noticing because at the end of the book the king seems to have not been previously aware of the existence of his children.
The following are some comments about this edition of the Arabian Nights taken from Wikipedia:
“In 2008 a new English translation was published by Penguin Classics in three volumes. It is translated by Malcolm C. Lyons and Ursula Lyons with introduction and annotations by Robert Irwin. This is the first complete translation of the Macnaghten or Calcutta II edition (Egyptian recension) since Sir Richard Burton. It contains, in addition to the standard text of 1001 Nights, the so-called "orphan stories" of Aladdin and Ali Baba as well as an alternative ending to The seventh journey of Sindbad from Antoine Galland's original French. As the translator himself notes in his preface to the three volumes, "No attempt has been made to superimpose on the translation changes that would be needed to 'rectify' ... accretions, ... repetitions, non sequiturs and confusions that mark the present text," and the work is a "representation of what is primarily oral literature, appealing to the ear rather than the eye". The Lyons translation includes all the poetry, omitted in some translations, but does not attempt to reproduce in English the internal rhyming of some prose sections of the original Arabic.”
The following excerpt from Wikipedia seems to indicate that Arabian Nights is given more attention within Western Literature than found in the study of Arabic culture and literature:
“There is little evidence that the Nights was particularly treasured in the Arab world. It is rarely mentioned in lists of popular literature and few pre-18th century manuscripts of the collection exist. Fiction had a low cultural status among Medieval Arabs compared with poetry, and the tales were dismissed as khurafa (improbable fantasies fit only for entertaining women and children). According to Robert Irwin, "Even today, with the exception of certain writers and academics, the Nights is regarded with disdain in the Arabic world. Its stories are regularly denounced as vulgar, improbable, childish and, above all, badly written."
I guess the above indicates that Western Literature has lower standards than Arabic Literature. I actually agree with the last sentence of the above quotation....more
If I were the publisher’s editor during the Islamic Golden Age (8th to 13th centuries) during the time when these stories were being compiled into a TIf I were the publisher’s editor during the Islamic Golden Age (8th to 13th centuries) during the time when these stories were being compiled into a Tale of 1001 Nights, I would have strongly recommended that it be pared down to 101 Nights. 1001 is too many. These three volumes (2008 edition by Penguin Classics) are in essence 270 short stories divided into 1001 sessions to fit the setting of the woman named Scheherazade telling a story per night with tantalizing incomplete endings in order to keep her bloody handed husband/king from killing her.
The three volumes total 2,784 pages. Any reader who manages to make it through to the end of the collection will find that their memory of the stories will be muddled and mixed because of their similar themes and motifs. Most books of short stories can have the same effect on a reader, but it’s worse in this case because of the large number of stories.
The experience of taking time to read all of this three volume set is something I can’t recommend to others. I was obligated to give it a try because I was a member of a reading group that decided to discuss the Arabian Nights in three meetings during the summer months of 2013. I managed to read only parts of Volume 1, none of Volume 2 (I was out of town), and with extra effort (and listening to audio) I managed to get through Volume 3.
This collection of stories does provide a glimpse into Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales of the 8th to 13th centuries. Since all my reading was in the first and third volumes I can offer some generalizations about the differences I noticed between the early and late stories. The earlier stories are shorter, less complex and contain fewer references to religion. The later stories are mostly longer and more religious. One story in Volume 3 takes up to 31 nights to get the story told. And Volume 3 is steeped in praise of the Muslim religion. As a matter of fact some of the stories in Volume 3 go out of their way to make it clear that the Christians (i.e. the Franks) are the bad guys and the Moslems are the good guys.
Here's a summary of the nights per story for the three volumes:
Volume 1: 74 stories over 294 nights for an average of 3.9 nights/story Volume 2: 158 stories over 425 nights for an average of 2.7 nights/story Volume 3: 38 stories over 282 nights for an average of 7.4 nights/story
At my book club it was pointed out that there is a story in Volume 2 that is almost exactly the same as another story in Volume 3. Again this indicates lack of an editor to correct this sort of thing.
One little detail which is probably left out of the children's version of these stories is the fact that 1001 nights is sufficient time to get pregnant three times and have three children by the end of all these stories. That is exactly what happens in this book. So the king was doing more than listening to the stories. Scheherazade must have been quite a woman to be able to not miss a night, and apparently deliver her babies without her husband noticing because at the end of the book the king seems to have not been previously aware of the existence of his children.
The following are some comments about this edition of the Arabian Nights taken from Wikipedia:
“In 2008 a new English translation was published by Penguin Classics in three volumes. It is translated by Malcolm C. Lyons and Ursula Lyons with introduction and annotations by Robert Irwin. This is the first complete translation of the Macnaghten or Calcutta II edition (Egyptian recension) since Sir Richard Burton. It contains, in addition to the standard text of 1001 Nights, the so-called "orphan stories" of Aladdin and Ali Baba as well as an alternative ending to The seventh journey of Sindbad from Antoine Galland's original French. As the translator himself notes in his preface to the three volumes, "No attempt has been made to superimpose on the translation changes that would be needed to 'rectify' ... accretions, ... repetitions, non sequiturs and confusions that mark the present text," and the work is a "representation of what is primarily oral literature, appealing to the ear rather than the eye". The Lyons translation includes all the poetry, omitted in some translations, but does not attempt to reproduce in English the internal rhyming of some prose sections of the original Arabic.”
The following excerpt from Wikipedia seems to indicate that Arabian Nights is given more attention within Western Literature than found in the study of Arabic culture and literature:
“There is little evidence that the Nights was particularly treasured in the Arab world. It is rarely mentioned in lists of popular literature and few pre-18th century manuscripts of the collection exist. Fiction had a low cultural status among Medieval Arabs compared with poetry, and the tales were dismissed as khurafa (improbable fantasies fit only for entertaining women and children). According to Robert Irwin, "Even today, with the exception of certain writers and academics, the Nights is regarded with disdain in the Arabic world. Its stories are regularly denounced as vulgar, improbable, childish and, above all, badly written."
I guess the above indicates that Western Literature has lower standards than Arabic Literature. I actually agree with the last sentence of the above quotation....more
This book is the story of insights gained by King Gilgamesh through lessons learned from two quest journeys and the death of his friend. Wisdom gainedThis book is the story of insights gained by King Gilgamesh through lessons learned from two quest journeys and the death of his friend. Wisdom gained from his experiences metamorphoses him from an arrogant and self-promoting tyrant into a humble and charitable king.
Reading this book is a glimpse further back into the history of recorded human thought than any other book in existence. This book has the distinction of being a thousand years older than the Iliad or the Hebrew Pentateuch. Its hero was the historical King Gilgamesh who reigned in the Mesopotamian city of Uruk in about 2750 BCE.
Could people who lived that long ago be as human as we are? The answer is of course yes which leads to the next question. Is it possible to learn something about being human from noting the story themes that we continue to have in common with people who lived that long ago?
So what themes do we appear to have in common with people who lived that long ago? For one thing, this story gives voice to grief and fear of death. For another, the story of Gilgamesh portrays love and vulnerability and the quest for wisdom. The wisdom obtained by the hero Gilgamesh leads to his acceptance of his mortality and determination to live this life well.
Another observation from this story is that people that long ago knew what lustful sex was. In other words, they knew how to do it. Early in the story a temple prostitute is given credit for taming and civilizing the wild man Enkidu who then becomes a close friend of Gilgamesh’s. Therefore, the power of women in human affairs is recognized as being that of sexual attraction. I’ll let the reader decide if this is still true today.
I highly recommend Stephen Mitchell’s “A New English Version.” I tried some of the free on-line “word for word” translations, and I found them to be virtually unreadable. Mitchell’s version read much as an adventure thriller in verse form (loose, non-iambic, non-alliterative tetrameter, except for the Prologue and the end which have five beats to the line). Recorded Books’ audio recording of the Mitchell version read by George Guidall is very well done....more
Beowulf is about a time when fighting monsters and slaying dragons was what gave life meaning. I’m glad I wasn’t living then because I would have endeBeowulf is about a time when fighting monsters and slaying dragons was what gave life meaning. I’m glad I wasn’t living then because I would have ended up as one of those poor helpless guys who were eaten by Grendel the monster.
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that is available in many different Modern English translations. I didn’t consider reading it to be much fun. However, the discussion of the book at the meeting of the Great Books Kansas City book group was very interesting because it was filled with people smarter than me.
In particular, one member at the meeting was able to recite portions of the poem in Old English. The Old English sounded as if it had about twice the consonants as does modern English. I didn’t understand the Old English, but nevertheless it sounded scary enough to give me nightmares. I’m sure the monsters and dragons are much more real in Old English.
Beowulf is one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. It was written between the 8th and early 11th Century based on a story that dates back to the late 5th Century. It survives by way of a single manuscript that has burn marks from a fire that it barely survived. The work fell into oblivion for many centuries, and its existence did not become widely known again until it was printed in 1815.
The following is a copy of the short review of the Seamus Heaney translation of Beowulf that was on the PageADay book lover’s calendar:
The English National Epic- "Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens." What finer way can there be to found a great world literature(somewhere between A.D. 600 and 1000) than with the awesome monster and his monstrous mother? Novel laureate Seamus Heaney does the honors in this widely acclaimed translation that brings to life a dark and primitive world full of honor and grandeur Title-Beowulf: A New Verse Translation Author-Anonymous, translated from the Old English by Seamus Heaney Published-2000 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux ...more
Some commentaries describe The Iliad as direct and fast paced. Those aren't the descriptive words that come to my mind. "Long" and "boring" are what ISome commentaries describe The Iliad as direct and fast paced. Those aren't the descriptive words that come to my mind. "Long" and "boring" are what I had in mind. I kept waiting for the Trojan horse to show up! Everybody has heard of the Trojan horse, so why isn't it in The Iliad? Now I know that The Iliad is about the anger of Achilles. But Achilles' heel and death do not occur in The Iliad either. There were probably many other ancient Greek epics that have been lost and are no longer known to us today. I think The Iliad was preserved because it was so uninteresting that later authors weren't tempted to rewrite it with later versions. That explains why the myths of the Trojan horse and Achilles' heel are based on later writings. They are more interesting plot ideas and may have preempted earlier myths that are now lost. (This is my idea and I may be the only person who believes it.) See "Epic Cycle" in Wikipedia for discussion of fragments of oral tradition related to the Trojan war that have been assembled. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Cycle
Homer's war details are very graphic and grotesque. Brains, eyeballs and guts are reconfigured and blood spilled in just about every conceivable way in The Iliad. The one thing not described is maiming and slow death. The injuries are either not serious or they're serious enough to cause instant death; Nothing in between.
Fate plays a central role in the thinking of the characters in The Iliad. Who would have thought that the Greeks believed in predestination long before Calvin. Why is the concept of avoiding death by not fighting so hard to understand? These guys think they're fated to die in battle. Why not rob (or delay) the fate of death and run the other direction?
One thing I'll have to concede to the ancient Greeks; Their concept of numerous fickle Gods matches real life much closer than the monotheistic concept of a just, fair and loving God. Frankly, some the Gods described in The Iliad remind me of the personality of God in the Biblical story of Job. They both do bad things to good people for childish reasons.
Speaking of good people, I was surprised how sympathetically The Iliad treated the Trojans. Since it's a Greek myth one would expect that the Trojans to be portrayed as bad people. But no, they're the good people defending their homes, women and children. The Greeks are the mean guys there for plunder. That's why the ancient Greeks conquered the world, they raped other people's women instead of staying home with their own. Ostensibly, the Greeks are there to rescue Helen who's been kidnapped by Paris, a junior prince of the Trojans. But it's pretty clear that the Greeks wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of sailing to Troy if there wasn't the prospect of plunder.
It's pretty clear that women, at least the young and pretty ones, are considered to be part of the plunder. A good discussion question is, "Was Helen a willing participant in her abduction?" The answer is yes in my opinion. Another interesting case is the woman Briseis who morns the death of Patroclus who she says had treated her kindly when she was kidnapped from her homeland. She goes on to recall how the rest of her family, including her husband and three brothers, were killed when she was taken captive by the Greeks. Yet her sadness is directed toward the death of one of her captors. This must be an example of Stockholm syndrome. (Briseis was the cause of Achilles' anger when Agamemnon took her away from him.)
Incredibly the Greeks take time in the middle of their war to hold games to honor the death of Patroclus. It was a mini Olympics except that the Trojans didn't participate. The games included chariot races, boxing, wrestling, running and other competitions. I noticed that the prizes for the wrestling match gave another indication of the relative value of women for the ancient Greeks. First prize was a fire straddling tripod valued at 12 oxen and second prize was a woman skilled at crafts valued at four oxen.
It's interesting to compare The Iliad with the Hebrew story of Moses. Both stories are about incidents that occurred perhaps over 3,200 years ago. Both stories were preserved (and probably enhanced) via oral retelling until they were first put into writing perhaps 2,600 years ago. The Iliad would become the founding myth of the Greek civilization that ended up conquering the world under Alexander the Great. The other story became part of the founding myth of Judah that was taken into Babylonian captivity and later continued under foreign domination. In a sense, the one story is for the winners, and the other for the losers. Both stories have become part of the roots of the western literary tradition. Since oppressed peoples, refugees and the homeless outnumber the victors at any given time in history, many people have found the promise of deliverance contained in the Hebrew scriptures to be a comforting message. That can't be said for The Iliad....more