|
|
The Odyssey: The Fitzgerald Translation |
 |
|
| |
Reviews |
| | Better Than I Remembered  |
| |
I just read The Odyssey again for a literature class. Man, it was better than I remembered. I had read this back in high school in 1996 or 97, and at the time I didn't care for it all that much. However, I don't think it was the same translation. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but this was a very enjoyable read. It has everything you could want in a heroic tale: monsters, gods, beautiful women, magic, and of course a trip into the underworld. Just make sure to look up characters while you read it. It really makes the text more enjoyable if you know who the various gods and demi-gods are. |
| | The Odyssey. Homer/ Robert Fitzgerald, translator. |
| |
"Odysseus rolled his head
to one side softly, ducking the blow, and smiled
a crooked smile with teeth clenched."
It's been a few years since I read Walden, but I recall Thoreau stating that Homer's epics should be read in no language but Greek. He may have been less inclined to this view if he'd had access to Robert Fitzgerald's translation, first published in 1961. It is said, by those who know these things far better than I, that heroic dactylic hexameter cannot be justly translated, and it is easy to imagine that there have been some artistically poor translations that have rendered Homer's works as generic prose. But Fitzgerald's acclaimed editions are quite artful indeed.
Odysseus' heroic trait is his `cunning intelligence'; he is admired by all mortal men that have heard his name, rulers and even the gods regard him highly; he is, for several years, the sexual prisoner of the immortal nymph, Calypso, before his epic, obstacle-riddled return to Ithaca and Penelope. [Odysseus' son] Telémakhos' heroic trait is his cool-headed, pragmatic discernment and patience. Penelope is the model of the faithful spouse, and a drove of [her] unscrupulous suitors are the leading antagonists.
There are many technical, source-critical, textual, and historical considerations concomitant to The Odyssey, and I am not qualified to speak to any of these. But the story is amazing, and in many ways `modern', certainly as to how its vignettes are structured. Twenty-six hundred years later, the heroic characters of literature, popular fiction and film/video continue to borrow the qualities and traits of Odysseus and Telémakhos. |
| | Terrible  |
| |
Sent me a different translation than I was sold. Not good for a college class that required a specific translation. |
| | "The Odyssey" review |
| |
By Jove--this is something else.
Firstly, if you are interested in this book, get background information on Greek mythology, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. Familiarize yourself with Homer's style, the different spellings of names, etc. It's especially good to read this in school, which is where I read it first, because the teacher has knowledge of the epic and can help you in reading it.
The Odyssey is really, something else. It and its partner The Iliad have their own style of story-telling, characterization, and description.
Homer, the storyteller, possesses a powerful and confident voice. As my English teacher said, "Homer is the MAN of epics", and that could not be a lie. The text is hard to read at first, because it contains advanced language, some archaic words, and the reader needs to familiarize themselves with the cultural background of ancient Greece. However, the text becomes enjoyable and rhythmic as the story progresses, making the reader wanting to read NOTHING ELSE but Homer.
The storyline itself is AMAZING, but even more than that. It's chaotic, contains plot twists...it's possibly one of the IDEAL stories of all time.
Odysseus' journey to return home to Ithaka is filled with life themes such as despondency, peril, greed, and bravery. It's emotionally moving and thought-provoking as one reads of the lives Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope lead after the Trojan War, and awaiting the reunion of their family. Odysseus' own 'odyssey' is filled with dangerous monsters, promiscious nymphs, and sorrow-filled nights at sea.
Figuratively, The Odyssey parallels real life, because each life is an 'odyssey'. We all face our monsters, promiscious nymphs, and sorrow-filled nights, but also the rage of battle against suitors and the joy of finally returning home. |
| | A Masterpiece of Poetry |
| |
This book is not bad, but I had some difficulty understanding it. It's a lot of reading, and lots of words in there that I don't know, which is kind of irritating because I'm too lazy to look up 5 million words per page just to understand ONE PAGE. Anyway, that's not important.
This version of translation is considered to be the closest to the original greek version, so reading this book might as well be reading what Homer actually wrote. It's well written, filled with full of imagery, metaphor, homeric similes, advantures, personifications, etc. It's very "visualistic." A masterpiece, no doubt!! |
Submit a Review (and enter a chance to win free priceOwl bookmarks)
|
|
| | |
|
