tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post2663524279880189340..comments2024-03-25T09:01:20.997-07:00Comments on Diary of an Autodidact: The Well Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had by Susan Wise BauerDiary of an Autodidacthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11849157548643091986noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-45160666541881114582014-09-04T09:13:02.582-07:002014-09-04T09:13:02.582-07:00Interesting that you mention introductions. Bauer ...Interesting that you mention introductions. Bauer recommends skipping all introductory material with the exception of those written by the author him/herself. That way one doesn't read through the lens of the writer of the preface. I tend to agree - but it is fun to go back afterward sometimes. <br /><br />I definitely want to read Tolkien's translation of Green Knight, if I can find a copy somewhere. It is easy to forget that Tolkien was a linguist long before he was a novelist, and that LOTR started out as an idea to invent an elvish language. <br /><br />The difficulty of translating form leads to some interesting compromises. I read parts of three different approaches to Dante's Inferno (you can find my review in the index), and it was fascinating to see the differences. <br /><br />In the verse version, the terza rima was preserved, but required some interesting syntax, and, in my opinion, some "flexibility" as to the original meaning. The prose version preserved the tercets, but gave up the rhyme and meter, so it didn't feel even close to poetry. It was the easiest narrative to read, though. Robert Pinsky's version included the rhyme and meter, but broke up the tercets. None was perfect, but each had its advantages. <br /><br />Presumably, it was easier going from Middle English to modern English than from Italian to English. Diary of an Autodidacthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11849157548643091986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-78291645135263415032014-09-04T08:55:19.676-07:002014-09-04T08:55:19.676-07:00I agree that reading the Classics should be done o...I agree that reading the Classics should be done outside of the classroom. I don't even like to read the introductions much; I'd rather get right into the story. One exception, though, is Tolkien's afterword to his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; even after reading The Lord of the Rings, I really did not understand alliterative verse, a part of my heritage as a descendant of Vikings, until I read Tolkien's clear explanation. And so far in my reading, Tolkien is by far the best at translating not just the words, but the verse form of Sir Gawain--an essential part of any translation of poetry, and one that is often bypassed because of real and supposed difficulties...jochanaanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14143066702059757955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-61658386721001420522014-09-04T05:42:11.048-07:002014-09-04T05:42:11.048-07:00I started out with SWB and intend to stick with he...I started out with SWB and intend to stick with her! :)Amy @ Hope Is the Wordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07949836482747469686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-20949000375267397202014-09-02T21:39:43.556-07:002014-09-02T21:39:43.556-07:00I hadn't heard of the Pinsky translation, but ...I hadn't heard of the Pinsky translation, but I can probably find it at SFPL. I have the John Ciardi and the Clive James translations. The James one received mixed reviews, but I like what I've read. I've heard good things about W.S. Merwin's translation of Purgatorio too.<br /><br />Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16098063988095610502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-28867082222834429472014-09-02T16:31:00.847-07:002014-09-02T16:31:00.847-07:00Teachers that assume a kid "just won't ge...Teachers that assume a kid "just won't get it" irritate me to no end. If I have found anything to be true, it is that kids get a heck of a lot more than you think they do. <br /><br />I read Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in high school as part of the curriculum, and the original Plutarch in translation soon thereafter. I loved them both. <br /><br />I agree that it is much better to cultivate a love of learning than to adhere to something that isn't working. Diary of an Autodidacthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11849157548643091986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-31782856159867110452014-09-02T16:21:39.240-07:002014-09-02T16:21:39.240-07:00Early in our homeschooling, I was introduced to Ba...Early in our homeschooling, I was introduced to Bauer. Box curriculums didn't work with the boys and I was desperate for some sanity. I read the book and used her Story of The World. The grace and fluidity of the two made schooling a joy instead of a chore. I've been through it three times now. I love teaching in the layers-picture books from Gilgamesh to Shakespear, then youth versions of them and finally the translations. Zany even got into an on going argument with a highschool teacher because she wouldn't allow them to read the real Julius Caesar because she didn't believe the kids would get it. He ended up reading it on his own.<br /><br />Picking up some things and letting go of others so that a love of learning can develop. froginparishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00595938392821045803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-47146663930632915852014-09-02T10:19:35.603-07:002014-09-02T10:19:35.603-07:00I love Heaney - and own the Beowulf translation. I...I love Heaney - and own the Beowulf translation. I haven't gotten to it yet, but it is definitely on the list.<br /><br />Speaking of excellent modern translations, have you read Robert Pinsky's translation of Dante's Inferno? Diary of an Autodidacthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11849157548643091986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-4381459152372902432014-09-01T12:06:27.274-07:002014-09-01T12:06:27.274-07:00I own the Heaney translation of Beowulf. It would ...I own the Heaney translation of Beowulf. It would be a worthy addition to your collection.Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16098063988095610502noreply@blogger.com