Dak
mentat
The version of the Republic I'm reading had a lengthy breakdown by the translator at the beginning, so I'm practically reading it twice. Its been a slog. Probably reading Leviathan next.
The Books/Reading Thread
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viewerfromnihil
Vein-Marbled Tower
My translation jumps immediately into dialogue, there isn't even a table of contents. It managed to rise a few laughs out of me, notably when it is translated that Thrashymachus called Socrates a "sillybilly." On your point, though, it certainly is a slog.
Einherjar86
Active Member
viewerfromnihil
Vein-Marbled Tower
Published by Vintage Books, Random House. Translated by Benjamin Jowett around the mid to late 19th Century. The price on the cover of the book is $1.65, so it was probably printed around the early seventies. But there isn't extensive publishing information in this copy, so it's hard for me to be sure.
Einherjar86
Active Member
Not familiar with the Vintage, but Jowett's translation seems to be pretty popular. When it comes to academic texts like this, I find the university publishers to usually be of higher quality. Oxford UP has an edition that is supposed to be very good. Getting a poor translation can completely ruin the experience of reading.
crimsonfloyd
Active Member
Any translation of Plato is going to be difficult because so many key terms in Plato's philosophy are translated into words that are loaded with modern philosophical concepts (for example, "eidos" being translated as "idea" will suggest something much more abstract than what Plato really means) but having an old, antiquated translation like Joewett's is only gonna make it harder.
The revised Grube translation is pretty solid and I've heard the Bloom translation is good, though I haven't read it myself.
The revised Grube translation is pretty solid and I've heard the Bloom translation is good, though I haven't read it myself.
unknown
fuck ftagn
currently reading The Red Wine of Youth, a collection of short stories by John Fante. Just as good as Ask the Dust. So far the only Fante I haven't been impressed with is 1933 Was a Bad Year.
Einherjar86
Active Member
That's why you need one with good notations and possibly an interpretive essay.
I've actually heard bad things about Bloom from grad students at UChicago; but I also haven't read it, so I can't vouch.
Dak
mentat
monoxide_child
New Metal Member
- Jul 30, 2008
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monoxide_child
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viewerfromnihil
Vein-Marbled Tower
I just ordered David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, from Ein's mentioning of the author and from Jimmy's posting of his This is Water speech, and Peter Novak's The Noble Dream: The 'Objectivity Question' and the American Historcal Profession, a historiographical work which will be my first text dedicated entirely to the subject, thanks to the urging of my history professor. I can't wait for these two to come in.
I've been pretty happy with what I've read and/or am working on with my summer reading list.
I've been pretty happy with what I've read and/or am working on with my summer reading list.
Einherjar86
Active Member
Infinite Jest is a BEAST.
Seriously though, lit scholars avoid that book because it's so daunting and time-consuming. But from what I've heard (I haven't read it), if you can make it, it's totally worth it. A classic postmodern text that challenges what we think of as literature.
I've read Wallace's The Broom of the System, a fictive contemplation on language and philosophy, that explores the ideas of Derrida and Wittgenstein; and his collection of essays, Consider the Lobster. Both are fantastic, so I'm sure Infinite Jest is good (and it is his magnum opus, after all).
Pretty excited, my comic book-obsessed cousin bought me a couple rags for my wedding:
Seriously though, lit scholars avoid that book because it's so daunting and time-consuming. But from what I've heard (I haven't read it), if you can make it, it's totally worth it. A classic postmodern text that challenges what we think of as literature.
I've read Wallace's The Broom of the System, a fictive contemplation on language and philosophy, that explores the ideas of Derrida and Wittgenstein; and his collection of essays, Consider the Lobster. Both are fantastic, so I'm sure Infinite Jest is good (and it is his magnum opus, after all).
Pretty excited, my comic book-obsessed cousin bought me a couple rags for my wedding:
wandering_taco
Minstrel of Woe
I'm currently working through The Immense Journey by Loren Eiseley as well as a combo book that has both Twilight of the Idols and The Antichrist by Nietzsche.
crimsonfloyd
Active Member
So good. The sections "Reason in Philosophy" and "How the True World Became a Fable" is some of the best material Nietzsche ever produced.
wandering_taco
Minstrel of Woe
I don't think I've gotten there yet, I'm not too far. The Immense Journey is my main read at the moment. I really like Eiseley's writing style, I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good mix of science, philosophy, and literature. I enjoyed The Unexpected Universe by him more, but this is also a good read so far, I'm almost done with it.
Master_Yoda77
Juggalo
Dak
mentat
