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PaperclipPerfector  4mo ago (text post)   2607 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 29, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

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What are interesting translations of the Odyssey that I might not have come across in the past?

I've previously read most of Fagles' years and years ago, and I read the entirety of Pope's in 2020. And of course I've read Joyce's version. This year I've read the War Nerd Iliad and the Dryden Aeneid, I feel like I want to wrap it up with the Odyssey, but I'm not sure what translation to grab.

Is this completely independent of the twitter blow up around Emily Wilson?

Are you recommending this one or is the mention of Twitter beef meant to warn me off of it?

I've heard Wilson's translation is supposed to emphasize readability over poetic language, and also emphasize the grimness over the glory of war in its translation. Its focus on readability over poetic language makes it an easy target for tweets to mock it as a step down from previous translations, and a lot of right-wing twitter is very pro-glory over grimness. Plus she has been promoted as a girlboss, progressive translator, and that makes her an obvious cultural enemy.

I haven't read any translations myself, just retellings in various mediums. I don't feel a particular urge to get closer to the source material.

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