Sing, goddess, the wrath of Achilles, Peleus' son.

[prillalar]

So, I've started in on the Iliad, two books a day, until I'm done. I'm reading Lattimore's translation, as it's elegant and very close to the Greek. If you want something more easily readable, I would recommend Fagles, which I've also read before.

I'm not, at least right now, a big fan of the Iliad -- I found it rather tedious, with the huge exception of Book 24. But I'm hopeful that this time through I'll get something more out of it. (The Odyssey, OTOH, I love.)

This is all by way of preparing for Troy. I've been pretty skeptical of this film and I picked up the Iliad so I, as something of a lapsed classicist, would be able to be pedantic and critical of the movie and the explosion of fanfic that's sure to come.

And then I downloaded the trailer.

And I was lost. This movie may rock, it may suck, it may be the best thing since Empire Strikes Back or the worst thing since Attack of the Clones, but I'll be there. And ten to one, I'll be writing fanfic.

Even before that, I'd been looking forward to seeing Peter O'Toole as Priam. I'm hoping Eric Bana can do justice to my sweet Hektor. Orlando Bloom was probably born to play Paris, though I don't know if that's a compliment. *g* Not a huge Brad Pitt fan, but hey. Sean Bean as wily Odysseus -- I'm sure that alone will be worth the price of admission.

I even want to make a collage from some images from the trailer and a bit of Sappho in Greek and English, but I don't have Photoshop and I don't think the GIMP and Graphic Converter are going to do the job. Not to mention I'm not an artist. :) But here are the lines, trans mine:

Some say an army of cavalry
or of infantry
or a fleet of ships
is the most beautiful thing on the black earth.
But I say it is whatever one loves.

(The fragment goes on to mention Helen and how she "forsaking the best of all men, went sailing off to Troy", led away by Aphrodite.)

I suppose it's too soon after RotK -- not to mention Peter Pan hasn't opened in most places yet -- to start in on the Troy hype. But here I am.

Really, I shouldn't be surprised at my reaction; this is why I did Greek and Roman studies in the first place. Popular culture, ancient and modern. I'm just a fangirl, either way.

Comments

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Oh, I am right there with you on the Troy bandwagon! The only obsession I have that's of longer-standing than LOTR is The Iliad. I took Greek in college just so I could read it. I remember writing Achilles/Patroklos stories long before I had any idea what slash was. This movie could well kill me dead, if it's done as well as it looks like it might be. The trailer made me scream even more than the ROTK one did, and that's saying a lot. That's not even counting my intense Sean Bean obsession. *g*

Can we just start the fandom *now*? Please?

Your icon is absolutely gorgeous, btw.

[sweetvalleyslut.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one excited about this movie. I took a class on the Iliad this semester, and we're all psyched for it. On the other hand, I'm incredibly worried that I'll end up being thrown out of the theater for yelling at the screen when they do something I don't like.

[prillalar]

The trailer looked absolutely amazing. The ships, especially.

Can we just start the fandom *now*? Please?

Yes! Though I'm sure there are already mailing lists. Maybe communities too. What else needs to be done to start the fandom? Write fic, I suppose.

Of course, I'll be freaking out over Peter Pan as soon as I see it, but I don't foresee writing any fic for that, so I'm sure I can slide Troy in along with LotR, HP, and SG-1. :)

[prillalar]

You'll stand up and shriek, oimoi talaina! *g* What are you worried that they'll do? I haven't really thought that far ahead.

[logovo.livejournal.com]

I'm really looking forward to this movie even if it's bad. I've through worse I'm sure just for any Iliad reference.

I like Fagles translation, but have to say I didn't given any other a chance. The book cover called to me, with its flattering comments on how good this translation was. Usually I avoid translated texts of any kind, with so many books in spanish and english to choose from that hasn't proved to be a problem. Derek Jacobi did the audio book and that I liked very much.

Anyway, Brad Pitt as Achilles and Orlando as Paris? Both I think were made for these parts.

[prillalar]

That's why I'm reading Lattimore. I've used him as a crib whilst translating Homer enough that I know he's very faithful to the Greek. Fagles irked me on that score, though I know there's a need for both types of translation.

[logovo.livejournal.com]

I can only imagine. I've done a few Spanish/Englis/Spanish translations for work and school. It's been such an eyeopener, how much depends not only on the translator's ability but the way choice after choice has to be made.

I'll look for Lattimore next time I'm at the bookstore. Maybe I'll be brave and also pick up that new Don Quixote translation :)

[iamrosalita.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to this movie, too. Loved, loved The Iliad. Hell, that things just made for a slasher. Hmm, may have to go dig up my copy.

[widget285.livejournal.com]

It is never too soon to start jonesing on and pimping a new obsession. It's kind of like voting; squee early and often.

I'm a big old whore for anything historical. I usually sit there privately nit pick over glaring historical inaccuracies, but I'll be there just the same.

This should be fun.

[ellipsisblack.livejournal.com]

Excuse me whilst I gloat quietly about having seen Peter Pan. I figure I'm entitled to, since RoTK hasn't opened here yet and we had to wait, like, a month for PoTC. Hee, it's so good! Jason Isaacs rocks, Jeremy Sumpter is adorable and the costumes~! Oh, the costumes!

Now I've gotten that out of my system, you're right, that trailer makes me want to see Troy, and I admit, I dislike the Trojan War intensely.

[prillalar]

It is, it is. Everyone will be reading it soon!

[prillalar]

I usually sit there privately nit pick over glaring historical inaccuracies, but I'll be there just the same.

Yeah, I've decided to give it a lot of latitude. That way I can just relax and enjoy it. And there should be a lot to enjoy. :)

[prillalar]

Gloat away! After the to-do I made about gloating over getting to a sneak preview of RotK, I'm in no position to complain. :) I can't believe RotK hasn't opened there yet! I would have thought it would have a near-simultaneous release world-wide. (Well, except for NZ.)

I am counting down to Peter Pan now -- 3 more sleeps. I even have *blush* some kids storybooks of the film so I can gaze at the photos of Hook. Jason Isaacs was made for costume drama, that's for sure.

[fallen-scholar.livejournal.com]

My trouble with Lattimore is that he's too much in the 70s vein of "let's preserve the absolue Greekness," the most annoying aspect thereof being the revisions of everyone's names into their "true" form. I dislike this because of a) having the moment of "oh, you mean Thucydides" too many times when I was reading scholarly stuff, b) likewise, in scholarly terms, know that they have wacky 70s-esque ideas ("the Heroic Age Greeks, Myceneans as we call them now, Achiwa as they called themselves, were all feudal states to the matriarchs of Minos"), c) loses a lot of the sweep and grandure and d) while in speaking with actual translators I've found the literalists and the figurativests equally distressing, the literalists are generally more so. A lot of time the literalists have a certain elitism that underlies their choices, the notion that if it is that you have to not learn the original text, you might as well have to work just as hard to read it in translation, and have everything explained in endnotes. Of course, most figurativists commit the counter-sin of "Homer ain't got shit on me" and assume they can mangle things to their personal desire.

Nevertheless, I'm totally with you in anticipation.

[prillalar]

A lot of time the literalists have a certain elitism that underlies their choices, the notion that if it is that you have to not learn the original text, you might as well have to work just as hard to read it in translation, and have everything explained in endnotes. Of course, most figurativists commit the counter-sin of "Homer ain't got shit on me" and assume they can mangle things to their personal desire.

Interesting points! Thank you. Any translation -- and translator -- is going to have its faults, certainly. :) I've only read Lattimore's and Fagles's Iliad translations in full, so I don't have anything else to compare them to. I've used Lattimore as a crib *cough cough* often enough for Homer that I'm satisfied his translation will give me what I want.

What translation do you prefer, for both the Iliad and the Odyssey?

I know I've used others of Lattimore's translations, but I can't recall enough about the material to give an opinion. For Homer, which I find quite straightforward, I think he's a good choice for me.

I don't want to give the impression that I think of myself as an amazing scholar -- I just did a BA in Greek and Latin Language and Literature, no grad studies. I did pretty much the same amount of Greek and Latin, though I self-identify as a Hellenist. *g* And I've not really kept it up, beyond struggling through the occasional bit of Sappho or Catullus for fun (and reading Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis). Homerically speaking, I've only translated Iliad 24, Odyssey 1 and some other chunks of the Odyssey. Not a lot.

So, I'm not by any means an expert, but I want to swot up all the relevant material prior to the movie so I at least vaguely know what I'm talking about. :)

[mishamcm.livejournal.com]

I love Lattimore.

[fallen-scholar.livejournal.com]

What translation do you prefer, for both the Iliad and the Odyssey?

Fagles...probably. He's...fuller, at least for the Illiad. For the Odyssey, I'm kind of a Fitzgerald fan. It's more folksy.

And I don't want to give the impression I'm some impressive scholar, I'm only a fallen one. I may have got to grad school, but I got away too. But someone once said, in regards to history, that you learn more about the period its being writen in than the period they're writing about. Lattimore is good, and his quality and qualities of litteralness have made him something of a standard translation. That glory aside he is very much a product of his environment, and I suppose as one who at one point did some wresling with that environment, I'm a little turned off by it.

And, if it makes you feel any better, I've translated all of two lines from Book 9 of the Illiad. Though I did leave my copy of Fagles at the grave of Schliemann, which grants me some weight-tossing powers.