/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.12907425]

> start reading Ovid
> it's actually quite easy to comprehend and not boring
i'm starting to think that START WITH THE GREEKS is not a meme. tell me, are Iliad and odyssey actualy enjoyable as a leisure read?

[Anonymous No.12907433]

>>12907425
Yeah. From what I remember it evolved from recited poetry. It's meant to be fun. Same goes for almost all fiction writing. "But it's looong and Greek/Russian" is just a normalfag meme.

[Anonymous No.12907480]

>>12907433
then i hope i got a nice translation.
my issue with long books is that i try to forcefully read more pages per day than i should (about 100-150 pages, if it's a dense read) and stop understanding shit.
and if i read a single book for 4+ consecutive days, it becomes boring
2bh i usually just switch to some short stories in that case

[Anonymous No.12907517]

>>12907480
Rip out a page, summarize the story so far, and use it as a bookmark. Come back to it whenever you feel like it.

[Anonymous No.12907543]

>>12907425
>be OP
>want to start with the Greeks
>accidentally start with the Romans

[Anonymous No.12907556]

>читaeт фaнфики пo гpeчecкoй мифoлoгии
>нa вeликoмoгyчeм вмecтo лaтыни
>нa чepeз жoпy cклeeннoй Aзбyкa-Клaccикa зa 89pyб.
Oй бля

[Anonymous No.12907561]

>>12907543
i also downloaded Virgil's poetry because i want to read it first before starting with
Dante's self-insert fanfiction
>>12907517
fug, that's actually a good idea. thanks brother

[Anonymous No.12907567]

>>12907556
мнe eё дoкинyли бecплaтнo в мaгaзинe "cтapыe книги из жoпы, нo нeдopoхa", тaк чтo нe вижy нeдocтaткoв
> фaнфики
caмый бaзиpoвaнный и кpacнoпилюльный вид литepaтypы.

[Anonymous No.12907587]

>never really engaged with philosophy
>think plato is impenetrable old obscurantism
>pick up a relatively modern translation
>reasonable language used to explain reasonable ideas in a way that is anything but obscurantist
>actually enjoyable to read
Plato is fucking great.

[Anonymous No.12907593]

>>12907556
>>12907567
English motherfucker do you speak it

[Anonymous No.12907611]

>>12907593
/lit/ is a russian soil, bub

[Anonymous No.12907617]

>>12907593
Step aside, the speakers of actual language are talking. Modern english is a non-language anyway.

[Anonymous No.12907622]

I can say confidently with the Iliad that the almost 3000 thousand years of literary works that come after it which surpass it in originality and force can be counted on two hands

[Anonymous No.12907624]

>>12907611
>>12907617
Russian is a made up language. Prove me wrong. Pro-tip eto ne vasmozhno

[Anonymous No.12907627]

The Illiad is gay and boring, the Odyssey is the greatest epic ever just get a good translation

Read Apuleius' Golden Ass, it's pretty light and fun, I can recommend the Robert Graves translation

[Anonymous No.12907637]

>>12907627
> The Illiad is gay and boring,
care to elaborate? i don't think i can just straight up skip it and read the Odyssey

[Anonymous No.12907642]

>>12907425
All ancient narratives still exist exclusively because they are entertaining and not because they have some kind of literary worth. By nature of still existing they have historical worth, but the only reason they were ever repeated is because drunk nobles liked the fight scenes and heroics. If you find anything of worth in any of them, it's by happenstance.

[Anonymous No.12907653]

>>12907425
why do publishers always strap Metamorphoses with the sexiest covers? i have 2 or e versions and they all include the bare female torso

[Anonymous No.12907655]

>>12907642
If you enjoy the parts of the Bible where God tells you who everyone's descended from you'll like the Illiad and it's lists of ships

Odysseus doesn't even feature that prominently in the Illiad apart from the horse idea and fighting Ajax or some some side shit like that, the account of him returning to Ithaca in the Odyssey can be read independently imo especially if you're already familiar with the Trojan war through other sources

[Anonymous No.12907656]

>>12907653
Rome was sexy as hell, anon. One of the sexiest places in history perhaps.

[Anonymous No.12907682]

>>12907637
You're being memed. The Iliad is great from the opening scene where Achilles confronts Agamemnon.

[Anonymous No.12907687]

>>12907682
"Waaah the big bad greek stole muh sex slave! Do something mommy!"

[Anonymous No.12907688]

>>12907425
>>12907637
>"> "

[Anonymous No.12907694]

>>12907687
Achilles was seconds away from just killing Agamemnon before Athena stopped him.

[Anonymous No.12907707]

>>12907655
Ummm actually sweaty. Odysseus, who was a mastermind like Zeus, knew all too well that Agamemnon ordering the Argives to sail back to their homeland (which was a test from Atrides) was not the correct course of action, and had this intuition solidified by a visit from Athena. And also the list of ships and the men on them is only from the backend of book 2, out of 28 books, so basically you're gay and fucking stupid. Also Odysseus beating the ugly retarded soldier with a scepter is poem Kino

[Anonymous No.12907722]

>I know x is LE MAYMAYS AND THAT MEANS BAD XDDD
I want newfaggots to fucking drop dead holy FUCK

[Anonymous No.12908071]

>>12907556
Trying to learn Russian was a mistake

[Anonymous No.12908452]

>>12907517
>Rip out a page
ISHYGDDT

[Anonymous No.12908478]

>>12908452
i think he meant a page from your notebook or shit. just a regular piece of paper on which you'll write a summary
>>12908071
> he doesn't understand 10-layer metairony

[Anonymous No.12908523]

>>12908452
I just assumed that OP wouldn't have blank paper lying around so he'd have to rip some out of a notebook. I don't know why I assumed that.

[Anonymous No.12908587]

>>12907707
Can I get acknowledgement for actually reading the Iliad please? Thank you. 2 hours is a long time to wait for praise on a Hungarian camel lynching forum

[Anonymous No.12908594]

>>12907425
Odyssey is okay

[Anonymous No.12908632]

>>12907587
>a relatively modern translation
Which is that?

[Anonymous No.12908645]

I liek the hamilton version of the Odyssey and there' nothing you can do to stop me

[Anonymous No.12908724]

>>12907425
The Odyssey is an absolute pleasure to read in my experience. The real boring books are philosophy books by Europeans in the 19th-20th centuries.

[Anonymous No.12909228]

>>12907425
> cheapest junk edition printed on toilet paper

[Anonymous No.12909232]

>>12908632
It was in swedish, so unless you're swedish I can't help you, anon.

[Anonymous No.12909269]

I've decided to
>read Fagles' Iliad and Fitzgerald's Odyssey
>when I want to reread them, read Pope and Chapman respectively
How's that?

[Anonymous No.12909331]

>>12909269
At least your opinion on the various translations won't be based on /lit/ memes.

[Anonymous No.12909951]

>>12907425
Ayy I'm also reading Metamorphoses

>>12907561
Pretty sure virgil's Roman my dude

[Anonymous No.12910680]

>>12907480
>100-150 pages, if it’s a dense read
Don’t do that. If it’s worth reading, it’s worth reading carefully. I’ve read so many amazing, insightful things and have taken nothing from them because I rushed. Take your time, take breaks to think about it, and use sparknotes to help tie it all together. You’ll remember and be able to apply much more this way. It sucks when you lose motivation after a few days, but you just have to work up to it and make it a habit

[Anonymous No.12911012]

>>12909228
>>12907556
do you people unironically care about editions? should be readable, that's all. i'd rather buy 3 cheap ass books than 1 solid for the same price, because it doesn't fucking matter. it's text on paper.

[Anonymous No.12911069]

>>12907425
The Odyssey is the most amazing read