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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   3640 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 14, 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?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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So, what are you reading?

Still on The Master and his Emissary. Not much progress.

Finished the War Nerd Iliad. It was interesting as an adaptation, in quality somewhere between The Trojan Women and Song of Achilles, but not really a translation. What I think has lead to it having a high reputation among its fans is that it wasn't afraid to make choices, and I think that's what made it so compulsively readable. Where by comparison a lot of modern translations try to be academic, to capture as much of the original meaning (or vagueness) as possible. There were parts of his interpretation I found kinda lame (like his conceit that Achilles was like 12 feet tall or something) or that I disagree with (his ironic but definite approach to prophecy), but those represent legitimate interpretations of the Iliad that one could argue the Greeks hearing the original would have understood. By making decisions like that give the interpretation power, where an effort to express exact word-for-word meaning can end up flat. It's a short and super easy read, I'd recommend it to anyone, as a point of interest if you have read the Iliad, as an introduction if you are about to.

Started the Good Soldier Svejk. It's really a fun work of satire. About a hundred pages in.

Wrapped up Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Looking for audiobook recommendations to use up some Audible credits I'm accumulating if anyone has good picks.

I also just finished The War Nerd Iliad. I found it amazing, accessible to modern readers yet I think it also captures the tone of the original well. The fine line between gruesome and sad descriptions of death and 'glorious' muscular war.

I also loved that it's faithful to the original structure (omitting the Catalogue of Ships, thankfully).

Really stayed with me, and I found it better than War Music by Christopher Louge .

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