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/lit/ - Literature

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21364358 No.21364358 [Reply] [Original]

Is there even a point in reading Homer in translation? It's formal poetry, after all.
>but you need him in order to understand other writers' references to him
You can use Wikipedia for that.

>> No.21364361

>>21364358
No, don't do anything. Just keep making retarded frog threads. That'll do it.

>> No.21364520

>>21364358
>It's formal poetry
As opposed to informal poetry? Or formal prose?
The poetry is wearing a suit?

>> No.21364524

>>21364358
That’s why you should read the Rieu prose translation. It’s the best IMO

>> No.21365130

no, there isn't. 90% of the time people on /lit/ or elsewhere tell you that reading a translation (generally, not just Homer) is good enough, they are very likely lowly monlinguals coping. it is pretty rare that a work can be translated well enough to be as good as the original, and this usually requires the right kind of work (certainly not poetry) and a very good translator

>> No.21365508

>>21365130
and there's plenty of english language literature to to read to never get through all of it, i don't know why people go to foreign literature

>> No.21365514

>>21365508
can't be this retarded

>> No.21365537

>>21365130
>>21365508
You two are genuinely retarded. You don't need to understand everything about a work of literature to get the references other authors make to it. The point of reading The Illiad/Odyssey is to understand the characters and stories, since they're endlessly referenced and copied. Thinking that you need to understand every line perfectly, or that one word can take on a separate meaning when read in the original Greek is just autistic. The only common literary language I'd say you need to learn to not be a larper is Japanese, since their poetry in translation isn't even the same thing due to a ton of kanji being pronounced the same way

>> No.21365548

>>21364358
Yes you still get the point and to a look at archaic storytelling.

>> No.21365574

>>21365514
no one who didn't speak my language every had anything valuable to say

>> No.21365591

if you want to get the references to it in culture, read the Pope translation since it's been the most significant and is analogous to the KJV for homer in terms of translation impact

>> No.21365844

>>21364358
Most other writers who reference him read him in translation too, you retard. Even Joyce never managed to get a passing command of ancient Greek. Read Pope's Homer — if it was good enough for Joyce it's good enough for you.

>> No.21365922

>>21365574
how would you know? retard

>> No.21365928

>>21365844
Pope's Homer is shit. It's Dr Seuss tier. Joyce read other versions, too.

>> No.21366325

>>21365130
And how many languages do you speak, anon?

>>21365591
Not even close. Pope has been criticised for his overly liberal approach ever since it was published, and his Odyssey isn't even his own (around half of it was translated by his friends and he just polished what they did).

>> No.21366351

>>21364358
this applies to all literature, prose or poetry. translations are separate works. nothing wrong with them, if you're interested, though it is obvious most are reading crappy literature (most translations) purely because of the apparent status or greatness of what they are based on. so it seems silly to ignore the wealth of great literature in your own language in favour of this. on this board i have seen people unironically defend and enjoy P&V translations... that tells all for their motivations, they can't use their own damn eyes.

>>21365537
i don't care for people who are only concerned with making and getting references. it's also an argument OP already refuted.

and you are still trying to say they are basically equivalent. they are not. you are obviously a coping monolingual with some knowledge of japanese. what you said of japanese holds for all languages. especially dead ones (indeed they are sort of unknowns because of the cultural distance). you still don't get it for some reason.

>>21365508
yes it's largely a waste of time without special interest when there's many lesser known good works in the languages you actually know. clearly they are just ticking off a list for perceived status.

>> No.21367768

>>21364358
'twas good enough for Keats

>> No.21367875

Pepe, I would be more confortable if you put on a shirt.

>> No.21369192

>>21364520
>The poetry is wearing a suit?
kek

>> No.21369888

>>21364358
Stupid frogposter