/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.19139169]

Every time I try to read the Iliad I get filtered. I'm reading the Butler translation. Is that where I fucked up? I don't have a problem reading Plato, I don't get it.

[Anonymous No.19139178]

Try reading a prose translation with a thorough introduction

[Anonymous No.19139180]

>>19139178
Yeah the Butler is just a direct translation

[Anonymous No.19139182]

>>19139180
Then read an introduction. Aim to understand the entire plot and all characters involved before going in so you don't feel lost at all.

[Anonymous No.19139195]

>>19139182
It's the stupid long Greek names that get me. But thanks anon I'll give it a shot

[Anonymous No.19139208]

I've had a similar experience. It's hard to find a translation that doesn't seem gimmicky and instead like an actual poem. Lattimore I couldn't finish because it's neither prose nor verse and the "lines" are overly drawn out, droning and discordant with pastichy, phony English words and phrases tacked together lazily. I settled on the second edition of William Cowper's version.

[Anonymous No.19140784]

>>19139169
Read a Greek history textbook first and an overview of Greek myth. I don't understand how some get filtered.

[Anonymous No.19140814]

Not to be mean but I dont understand how you got filtered especially if you read the introduction. The whole book reminds me of Star Wars because its so accessible

[Anonymous No.19140829]

[Anonymous No.19140832]

How's the Pope translation?

[Anonymous No.19141306]

Is it okay to read a summary of the Iliad and just go for the Odyssey?

t. tried to read the Iliad more than 7 times and got FILTERED

[Anonymous No.19141330]

>>19141306
I don't understand how you get filtered by the Iliad. When I started with the greeks some years ago I had no problem reading it

[Anonymous No.19141396]

>>19141330
>I don't understand how you get filtered by the Iliad

I am a brainlet, anon.

[Anonymous No.19141402]

>>19141396
I mean is it an attention span problem or do you not understand what's happening when you read or what? Because if you can't read the Iliad I don't see how the Odyssey is going to be any easier

[Anonymous No.19141422]

>>19141402
>I mean is it an attention span problem or do you not understand what's happening when you read or what?

It could be a bit of both to be honest. I am obsessed with greek theater, and read it constantly so I don't know. The pages filled with a thousand ships names don't help either. Achilles has a bitchy atittude throughout the book. Things don't seem to progress. But then again, I am a fucking brainlet.

>Because if you can't read the Iliad I don't see how the Odyssey is going to be any easier

The plot is more interesting.

[Anonymous No.19141493]

>>19141422
sounds like you're reading for entertainment rather than to try and understand great art

[Anonymous No.19141512]

>>19141493
Possibly.

[Anonymous No.19141548]

omg I'm here with literal brainlets

[Anonymous No.19141565]

>>19139169
Butler is a good translation, Fitzgerald is the best imo. Avoid Lattimore like the plague, retards only recommend him because they heard from other retards that they should, if you trace the retardation back it's simply because Lattimore is assigned in colleges and schools for simplicity.

>>19140832
Pope's version is beautiful, but it isn't the Iliad anymore. He takes liberties upon liberties and rewrites the entire epic.

[Anonymous No.19141602]

>>19139169

Get familiar with Greek Myths
Read Hamilton for basic Myths overview
Then read The Great Courses overview on the book (just google it, it pretty good)
Get Fagles translation and start readibg it
Repeat for Odyssey/Aeneid

You got it OP

[Anonymous No.19141639]

I enjoyed Iliad, but Odyssey is actually filtering me right now. On book 15 and it's just not holding my attention whatsoever.

[Anonymous No.19141795]

>>19139208
I’m reading lattimore and while the Iliad is obviously a good book (this shines in combat scenes) it is not as enjoyable as the fagles translation and feels a bit clunky and drawn out.

[Anonymous No.19141899]

>Fagles
lmao more like Fagles, am I right? One of the top 3 worst versions.

[Anonymous No.19142124]

>>19141639
How did you enjoy Iliad?

[Anonymous No.19142237]

>>19141565
>if you trace the retardation back it's simply because Lattimore is assigned in colleges and schools for simplicity
He literally isn't, you dumb fuck. Simplicity is the quality of e.g. Fagles and Wilson. Lattimore is good and used frequently because he's the most accurate outside of prose translations. Has line for line accuracy.

[Anonymous No.19142506]

>>19141639
Terrible time to stop. You've slogged through the hard parts, and the payoff is coming. Unless you're a hopeless case, it's about to get really good.

[Anonymous No.19143397]

>>19141639
You belong to the patricians

[Anonymous No.19143582]

>ctrl+f Graves
>0 results
/lit/ really is just pseuds and teenagers now huh?

[Anonymous No.19143641]

>>19143582
Graves is the pseud/teenager/boomer translation, dumb dunning-Kruger poster

[Anonymous No.19143692]

>>19139169
Go for the Richmond Lattimore translation. Samuel Butler was writing for the very early 1900s audience so his language is a bit antiquated in some aspects.

[Anonymous No.19143709]

>>19141422
Achilles is supposed to have a poor attitude. The first book is literally called "the Rage of Achilles."

[Anonymous No.19144421]

>we beat the Trojan
>We push to their city walls
>Oh no they beat us
>They push to our boats
>But Zeus favors us
>We push back to their city walls
>Oh but no, Zeus favors them
>They push back to our boats
>But then Zeus favors us
Repeat for 400 pages

[Anonymous No.19145573]

Out of Fagles, Lattimore and Fitzgerald, what would you pick for Iliad/Odyssey? I wanna get the overall of the story but I don't want to read it in 20th century style English, and I'd prefer to read the same translator for both. On my next re-read I'll probably do Pope so this time it doesn't need to be full on poetry.

[Anonymous No.19145581]

>>19141639
Don’t give up on it now my man