Iliad - translated by Robert Fagles

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I only read "The Odyssey" this time through. I haven't read it since high school and have been wanting to read it again. It is obviously well written and a classic. The 'legend/epic' style is different from what I normally read, but I enjoyed it. Yet though it is always metrically regular, it never becomes monotonous; its internal variety guarantees that. This regularity imposed on variety is Homer's great metrical secret. the strongest weapon in his poetic arsenal. The long line, which no matter how it varies in the opening and middle always ends in the same way, builds up its hypnotic effect in book after book, imposing on things and men and gods the same pattern, presenting in a rhythmic microcosm the wandering course to a fixed end which is the pattern of the rage of Achilles and the travels of Odysseus. of all natural phenomena and all human destinies. The meter itself demands a special vocabulary, for many combinations of long and short syllables that are common in the spoken language cannot be admitted to the line-any word with three consecutive short syllables, for example, any word with one short syllable between two longs. This difficulty was met by choosing freely among the many variations of pronunciation and prosody afforded by Greek dialectal differences; the epic language is a mixture of dialects. Under a light patina

Englishing the Iliad: Grading Four Rival Translations Englishing the Iliad: Grading Four Rival Translations

I do love The Illiad, but I'd give The Odyssey a slight edge. Even just reading general Greek mythology, Odysseus was always a favorite, because unlike figures such as Achilles or Heracles he succeeded on his wits, not muscle. It's true, on this reread, especially in contrast to say The Illiad's Hector, I do see Odysseus' dark side. The man is a pirate and at times rash, hot-tempered, even vicious. But I do feel for his pining for home and The Odyssey is filled with such a wealth of incident--the Cyclops, Circe, Scylla and Charybdis, the Sirens--and especially Hades, the forerunner of Dante's Hell. And though my friend is right that the misogynist ancient Greek culture isn't where you go for strong heroines, I love Penelope; described as the "matchless queen of cunning," she's a worthy match for the crafty Odysseus. The series of recognition scenes on Ithaca are especially moving and memorable--I think my favorite and the most poignant being that of Odysseus' dog Argos. As a female though I couldn't help but get annoyed with Odysseus sleeping with goddesses etc. while Penelope is pining away for him. Although, I also got annoyed at Penelope's inability to send the suitors away, so maybe they were meant for each other? Some of the fighting scenes got too gruesome for me. Also, why is Athena so committed to Odysseus? There are literally libraries of books written about this subject, so I won't elaborate. But it is quite fascinating to read about. The stories themselves are also quite engaging. I was definitely not bored reading any of this. They were also quite graphic. You will need to a-tune yourself to the style of writing and to the names of the characters in each story. There is a good bit of repetition though, which helped me keep up. One of the greatest epics in Western literature, THE ILIAD recounts the story of the Trojan wars. This timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves to its tragic conclusion. In his introduction, Bernard Knox observes that although the violence of the Iliad is grim and relentless, it co-exists with both images of civilized life and a poignant yearning for peace. Read more DetailsCombining the skills of a poet and scholar, Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, brings the energy of contemporary language to this enduring heroic epic. He maintains the drive and metric music of Homer’s poetry, and evokes the impact and nuance of the Iliad’s mesmerizing repeated phrases in what Peter Levi calls “an astonishing performance.” In addition to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Fagles was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences [5] and the American Philosophical Society. [6] Relish the thrilling horror of Frankenstein in Folio’s stunning new edition. Mary Shelley's darkly disturbing tale is illustrated by Angela Barrett and newly introduced by Richard Holmes. rade." "he made [him prey) for the dogs." Some of Parry's followers have been less hesitant, and by this and other extensions ofthe meaning of "formula" have boosted the inherited content of Homer's verse to ninety percent. This of course leaves very little room for Homer as an individual creative poet. It seems in fact to be a return to the idea of Giambattista Vico: the poems are the creation of a people, of a tradition, of generations of nameless bards. But the argument for full formularity has feet of clay. A poet composing in a strict, demanding meter is bound to repeat svruactical combinations in identical positions and the stricter the meter, the higher the incidence of such repeated patterns. English has no meters as precisely demanding as Homer's, but Alexander Pope. to take an example, is rich in lines that by strict Parryite standards would qualify him as an illiterate bard. For example: The Smiles of Harlots. and the Tears of Heirs The Fate of Louis and the Fall of Rome Proclaim their Motions, and provoke the War Maintain thy Honours, and enlarge thy Fame The shining Helmet, and the pointed Spears The silver Token, and the circled Green Weak was his Pace, but dauntless was his Heart Lame are their Feet, and wrinkled is their Face The Iliad Characters: Ajax, Odysseus, Helen of Troy, Menelaus, Paris, Hector, Achilles, Agamemnon, Aeneas, Sarpedon, Priam, Cassandra, Patroclus, Diomedes, Ajax Oileus, Andromache, Briseis, Hecuba, Nestor, Akhilleus.

The Iliad : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) - Google Books

On June 8, 2011, a resource center devoted to the study of the Classics was dedicated to Dr. Fagles at Princeton High School. At the dedication, students and teachers paid tribute to Dr. Fagles. [8] Translations [ edit ] Lccn 89070695 Ocr ABBYY FineReader 8.0 Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.11 Ocr_module_version 0.0.14 Openlibrary_edition Combining the skills of a poet and scholar, Robert Fagles brings the energy of contemporary language to this enduring heroic epic. He maintains the drive and metric music of Homer’s poetry, and evokes the impact and nuance of the Iliad’s mesmerizing repeated phrases in what Peter Levi calls “an astonishing performance.” What a ride, what a change in the quality of structure, everything is remembered and tied off with a neat bow. Whichever Homer that was in charge of taking care of the Odyssey did a stellar job. I actually have no complaints - save for the rampant woman hating in the poem, obviously. I mean Odysseus had all of his female servants who slept/ were raped by the suitors lynched at the end, which has NOT aged well.The most disappointing part of this book was the ending and that there’s no mention of the wooden horse (The famous Trojan horse!). The best part is that now I can relate to most works of mythological fiction and many attributions to this ancient classic literature. The spark that ignites the Greeks’ legendary struggle to take golden Troy is the abduction of the beautiful Helen by Paris, son of King Priam. However, it is a single episode in the siege’s tenth and final year, the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles, which Homer takes as the thread that binds the ensuing tragedy. Admist the violence, Homer’s characters, whether gods or men, are presented with subtle realism, revealing that the passions and problems that beset humanity are both timeless and universal. So, when I finished the Iliad I made a joke that what Homer had written really was the foundation of storytelling because he wrote the Iliad before endings were invented. *ba-dum-tiss* The centuries old epic about the wrath of Achilles is rendered into modern English verse by a renowned translator and accompanied by an introduction that reassesses the identity of Homer. In Robert Fagles' beautifully rendered text, the Iliad overwhelms us afresh. The huge themes godlike, yet utterly human of savagery and calculation, of destiny defied, of triumph and grief compel our own humanity. Time after time, one pauses and re-reads before continuing. Fagles' voice is always that of a poet and scholar of our own age as he conveys the power of Homer. Robert Fagles and Bernard Knox are to be congratulated and praised on this admirable work