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Do NOT start with the Iliad. Boring AF and I love the classics. Start with Xenophon, which is what they’d start school boys on for Greek translation. Either re
by dr_dshiv 5y ago
Do NOT start with the Iliad. Boring AF and I love the classics.
Start with Xenophon, which is what they’d start school boys on for Greek translation. Either read his dialogues with Socrates, his “education of Cyrus” (hey, non-western!) or “Anabasis.” The last one is probably the most exciting.
Alternatively, Herodotus is fun, but you won’t read the whole thing. It is good to dip in and out of. Oh, Plutarch’s “Life of Alexander (the great)” is not too long and better than a history, because he focuses on his character and telling personal stories.
Once you get going, Plato is frikkin amazing. But you have to want it— or have a guide or group. I personally like “the Parmenides” because it is mind bending. Or the symposium to hear from a brilliant lady philosopher about the nature of love.
Oh, then if you want something fantastic, read Iamblicus’ “Life of Pythagoras.” It is very well written and will change your concept of the western world.
- CalChris 5y agoWe're going to disagree about the Iliad. It even has a good cop, bad cop scene in it in book 10, the Night Raid. Odysseus and Diomedes go on a night raid to get ... information. Was there ever a badder bad cop than Diomedes or a smoother talking good cop than Odysseus? Hell to the fuck yeah, when you get to Plato, you have to want it. I still haven't made it through the Republic. Plutarch Parallel Lives has a lot of really good biographies. Pick any. Hell, pick Life of Antony. Herodotus is fun but junk. Thucydides is tough but meaty. Switching to the Romans, Tacitus Agricola is awesome. Read Gorgias Encomium of Helen (short), I think he's the only Sophist we have, and you might think Plato was a little tough on him.
- dr_dshiv 5y agoDon’t get me wrong, Iliad has great scenes that are super exciting. But if you start from the beginning and expect to read to the end, alone, it will be a slog. I was harsh, but I do think it is a terrible way to start reading the classics. Republic is to be avoided for the same reasons. There is great stuff in there, but maaaan. Will check out your recs!
- kragen 5y agoThe Iliad is only boring if you read a euphemized modern translation. Nauseating, maybe; repulsive, often; but not boring. See my comment from last week: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28937181 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28937181
- ambrozk 5y agoIn that comment you say Murray's translation is "meticulous but annoyingly archaized". Do you know a translation which is non-euphemistic and meticulous, but also not archaized? Also, what should I read if I like the poetry of Pope, but I want the poetry to be grittier and truer to the tone of the original, (i.e. I'm fine with changes to the content for the sake of poetics, so long as they don't hide or transfigure the original's emotional content).
- kragen 5y agoI'd like to be the right person to answer these questions, but I'm not.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]