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Robotswithpersonality
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Mehso-so

The gods made me do it! 🙄
How is it I never remember that the Iliad does not end with the fall of Ilium (Troy), not even the fall of Achilles, but rather the funeral rites for Patroclus and that poor bastard Hector? Kind of a let down from a narrative perspective. The whole thing feels like it's building not just to a showdown between Achilles and Hector, but also to whether Troy will be spared or destroyed, and the book ends before you have 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? an answer! If memory serves, I think the Odyssey covers the aftermath, but it's not a very satisfying reading experience to recognize you need to read another epic to compete the tale. You know how I feel about cliffhangers.
Also from an 'all Greek myth has gotten jumbled in my head perspective' it doesn't help that the beginning of the Iliad does not start with the reasons for this conflict, the story is very much in media res,
5mo
Robotswithpersonality 3/? the campaign has been going on for years, you find out why every one is mad and fighting as it goes along.
The text is fairly heavy handed in putting forth what were the societal values of the day: honouring your host, and they honouring your solemn requests in turn, not being lost to pride or rage, affording the proper honours to the gods and the dead.
5mo
Robotswithpersonality 4/? I'm sure the text has been mined many times for what it has to say about the culture, trade, every day customs of ancient times - with the proviso of anything with this many immortal participants can't be considered too factual. Do NOT get me started on how women (that includes goddesses) were represented and treated in the text. Talk about enforcing the values of the time. 😑 5mo
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Robotswithpersonality 5/? Speaking of the text, I can appreciate the plain language, how easy it was to comprehend, but maybe some of the poetry of this epic has been lost in this particular translation? Granted I don't have a professor to explain the more complex bits this time 'round, so for a public library edition it's probably for the best!
Regardless of translation, two things stood out to me:
5mo
Robotswithpersonality 6/? Metaphors/similes for battle are heavy on the power of nature, group of soldiers like wave, stampede, etc, also hunting scenes, either men hunting prey, or predatory animals hunting prey. It's one form of violence describing another at the end of the day, but it's a solid reminder for how brutal those times likely were, how brutal war always is. 5mo
Robotswithpersonality 7/? Another heavily repeated theme were stories of families, particularly a focus on lineage, frequent digressions in the text, to prove the honour of this or that soldier is to cite their history, to introduce a new player is to mention who they're related to.
Speaking of, I know it was a good strategy to have whole sections of text repeated if you're going to have to remember to perform this whole thing orally back in the day,
5mo
Robotswithpersonality 8/? but it feels kind of ridiculous reading a copy paste of two paragraphs ago all over again. I would be completely on board for a radical reduction of the text along the lines of 'and Isis delivered the message as Zeus had dictated' END OF SCENE.
You'd drop a good chunk off the word count without harming the narrative, I daresay improving the flow. Alas, Homer is hallowed ground these days, and I think most would pitch a fit at the idea of
5mo
Robotswithpersonality 9/9 edited reproduction. That's why retellings exist. 😉

⚠️Domestic abuse, slavery, ableism, animal death, gore, misogyny
5mo
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Robotswithpersonality
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New plan: Greek myth-sci-fi-fantasy fusion; can someone please write a story about the golden handmaids of Hephaestus?
I now have a mighty need for ancient Greek robot narratives! 💛🤖🏛️🏺

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Robotswithpersonality
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That's right, Zeus, nothing more seductive than telling your wife you suddenly find her sexier than all the women you cheated on her with, (a partial list). 😑🙄

dabbe One of my favorite parts! 😂 5mo
10 likes1 comment
blurb
Dilara
Le Justicier d'Athnes | Petros Markaris
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During the Greek economic crisis that started in 2009, someone takes it upon themselves to blackmail rich tax evaders into paying their taxes or face death. Victims are left to be discovered in various archaeological sites, including Kerameikos (pic from Wikipedia). Police chief Kostas Charitos is on the case, but things turn political and popular sentiment is on the vigilante‘s side.
I never quite got into this novel, but it was a quick read.

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Robotswithpersonality
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Ancient Greek smack talk. 🤌🏻

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Robotswithpersonality
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He saved the horsies. 🥹 Though I do question the primary argument of leaving them behind because he thought they'd be hungry, when driving chariots into battle would arguably have been the more dangerous part of being present in a war/siege zone. 🤔 🐴

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Robotswithpersonality
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Sibling rivalry is too mild a phrase for what the Olympians have going on.

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Robotswithpersonality
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Very blockbuster action movie hero depiction:
'He's injured, but don't forget, he's hot.' 🤕🔥

dabbe 😂😂😂 6mo
8 likes1 comment
blurb
ravenlee
The Iliad | Homer
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I was so excited to get this #bookmail this week! I preordered it, but it shipped before the release date, so I was completely surprised. I need to find the time to focus on it, which is hard to do at the moment. But soon, yes…soon.

TheBookHippie Oh I want this too!!! Enjoy! 6mo
dabbe The Fagles' translation is my favorite, but I can't wait to read what you think about this one! I haven't read it yet! 🤩🤩🤩 6mo
ravenlee @dabbe I have a collection of Iliad and Odyssey editions (Odyssey is my favorite). I loved Wilson‘s Odyssey, so I‘ve been very eagerly awaiting her new work in paperback. Eventually I want to read all of my copies close together and compare them. 6mo
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dabbe @ravenlee What's your favorite ODYSSEY translation? 6mo
ravenlee @dabbe I used the Fitzgerald translation in undergrad, and it‘s my gold standard. He changed spellings to try to be more true to the original (Kirke instead of Circe), but it makes it confusing in places (like the Phaiakians). But the flow overall is really good. 6mo
dabbe @ravenlee I don't know how those spellings would work for me, but I might give him a try. Thanks for your knowledge! 🤗 6mo
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blurb
ImperfectCJ
The Iliad | Homer
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It's a tie between The Iliad and The Odyssey (4 each), although I guess it's maybe different than "copies" since they're all different translations/interpretations. Not counting audiobooks, the next closest are Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, Feeding the Whole Family, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, and Roget's Thesaurus (2 editions each).

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

BookmarkTavern Oh wow! So cool! Thanks for posting! 9mo
38 likes1 comment