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/lit/ - Literature

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6647114 No.6647114 [Reply] [Original]

I'm making good progress through Wheelock. Once I'm done and I've worked my way through simple texts like Caesar, how long will it take before I'm proficient enough to read through Augustine and Aquinas (my main reasons for studying the language) with only reasonable reference to a dictionary? Is medieval Latin harder than ancient Latin, contrary to what I've been told, and is there any textbook which will familiarise me with it from basic classical Latin? Also, is there any source for physical copies of early modern texts in their original Latin comprable to Loeb's - I'm especially interested in reading Grotius one day.

Many thanks.

>> No.6647143

You should read the biblia sacra vulgata in Latin, there's some side by side English on Amazon

>> No.6647179

>>6647143
What are the benefits of reading a Latin translation of the Hebrew and Greek bible when I'm already quite comfortable with the poetry of the King James Version in English? I do hope to one day introduce myself to the Hebrew language since the poetry of the Old Testament seems quite obvious to me and I would like to experience it as written, but the New Testament seems relatively simple linguistically and I don't have any great interest in delving into it textually even if I could wake up tomorrow reading perfect Greek.

>> No.6647209

>>6647179
If you're familiar with the Bible the stories will be easier to translate and you'll get good practice in Latin. But do what you will.

>> No.6647211

Why would anyone want to read Aquinas?

>> No.6647216

>>6647209
Thank you very much. I opened a preview on Amazon and the purpose became apparent. This is good advice and I will follow through on it.

>> No.6647241

>>6647114
Coming from an Oxford Latin student, there are some differences between classical and medieval Latin, but medieval is usually simpler.

Medieval authors are usually much simpler in style, you won't have to deal with ridiculous amounts of participles like Livy or with stupidly long sentences like Tacitus.

The only thing you might find weird is that a lot of new adjectives get introduced, especially to replace the excessive third declension adjectives of classical Latin, but this is actually a simplification rather than a complication.

Once you're comfortable with Caesar, you're definitely prepared to move onto medieval stuff. I'm not sure about textbooks, but there are good resources online for individual words etc. - shouldn't be too hard to find.

Regarding your question about texts, if it isn't in the Loeb, you're unlikely to find a side-by-side Latin-English copy. If you *only* want the Latin texts, the Oxford Classical Texts usually have everything. I'm at Oxford so they have copies of literally every Latin text ever in the library but I'm really not sure how hard they are to find for the general public.

Have fun with your reading.

>> No.6647386
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6647386

>>6647114
If you' re after parallel texts, as a supplement to >>6647241 's kindly advice:

Harvard University Press has two sister series to Loeb offering parallel English-Latin texts that you'd no doubt be interested in.

>Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/collection.php?cpk=1320

>I Tatti Renaissance Library
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/collection.php?recid=504

Specific to your interests, Dumbarton Oaks offers a facing-page Vulgate:Douay-Rheims, various Patristic commentaries/commentaries on Patristics, an anthology of Latin hymns, and an 11th c. versified students' primer ('Fecunda Ratis'/The Well Laden Ship).

I Tatti has Nicholas of Cusa, Pope Pius II, Cyriaco of Ancona, and all the early-modern Neo-latin you can shake a stick at.

Godspeed, OP.

We' re all gonna make it.