Cleo’s Comments (group member since Apr 12, 2016)

Cleo’s comments from the Reading Classics, Chronologically Through the Ages group.

Haaze wrote: "Did any of you by any chance read Egypt, Greece and Rome: Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean by Charles Freeman?
..."

Not yet! I have a number of Folio editions that I need to read first. Don't tell me that I have to start a "Haaze Recommendations" bookshelf! ;-)

Deanna wrote: "I took a little hiatus to work on NaNoWriMo. ..."

Are you enjoying it? I mean to participate every year but can never find the time.

Sandy wrote: " Are you two reading electronic or print? ..."

I'm reading print; I absorb much more that way. I would find an e-book cumbersome but that's just me. Please let us know when you start, Sandy!

Kenia wrote: "...... purchased a scrumptious vegan wellington (a seasonal specialty from a local vegan restaurant) for my vegetarian friends..."

I had someone who was vegetarian but didn't eat eggs or drink alcohol. The hard part was the alcohol because most of my desserts had some in them but I found a wonderful Salted Date Caramel Chocolate Pie that was scrumptious!

Kenia wrote: "I finally decided to scrap the summarizing in my journal because it was keeping me from reading the book at all....."

Ah, you've inspired me! Perhaps I'll try to do the same when I have time to slot it in again. I know that Bauer is trying to keep the chronology, but it does bother me slightly all the jumping around from place to place. I wish she would say more often, 'meanwhile in India ...' so there's some sort of perceived connection. But it is very interesting.

Wow! 27 people! I'm impressed. I just had a buffet dinner for 12 last weekend and with making all the food for it, I was exhausted. I can't imagine 27.

I stalled on the Ancient World, mainly because I was trying to summarize each chapter. I mused about continuing reading without summarizing and I know then I'd finish it but since I've started summarizing already, I'm hesitant to give it up. Best of luck for your plans for 2017!

I'm part way through Chapter 2 so I've just started. It's a fun romp!

Kenia, my response would be pretty much what Haaze said. I think that people know that what they read is not particularly edifying or intellectually stimulating, but they do it anyway. Their reactions to you really says more about them than about you. I think that it's important that your reading choices remind them of what they already know.

Personally, I get so excited about what I'm reading, I'm often able to draw people in, but there are certainly those whose minds completely close off to it and they are uncomfortable. I don't let that get to me. Hopefully in some way I'm challenging people to better themselves.

"I know that this sounds snobbish, but I am so tired of our culture being dumbed down (or is that just my imagination?). "

Oh my, ME TOO!!!!!

Sandy wrote: "This autumn has thrown me some curve balls but I am still hoping to be ready to participate in reading Herodotus' The Histories beginning in January. Would someone be able to recomme..."

I'd recommend The Histories: The Landmark Herodotus absolutely! The maps are invaluable and the translation is supposed to be good.

It must be a relief to be getting settled down again. I hope you're better soon and back on track. I've been very distracted this fall but I hope things are settling down here as well. We'll see .....

Welcome, Kendra! I'm beginning a Don Quixote buddy read on Nov 15th. It will be my second time reading it and I'm looking forward to forming some new impressions. Are you enjoying it?

Kenia wrote: "I've been thinking lately I would DIE to see performances of the great ancient Greek tragedies. ..."

Oh my, I've been thinking exactly the same thing! I have a DVD of Antigone in Greek starring Irene Papas and it's interesting but a live performance would be so much better!

Haaze wrote: "I keep my reading projects in my head. That way I don't have to freak out by seeing it on paper. It would seem more daunting that way.....


"

Your head must be much bigger than mine. ;-) Ha ha! (Gotcha!) :-)

Wow, I'm speechless! We'll at least you don't have to finish them by the end of the year .... ;-)

Ouch! Do you think you could contact them and they'd give you the sale price?

Ooo, fun! I've only read 13 ½ books on the list, so I feel very unscholarly.

I'm planning to start The Histories in November, but I've been planning it for months. We'll see ...... Since you'll be reading it too, it might give me more impetus.

Haaze wrote: "This goes especially for poetry/verses as the translator tends to butcher the original a great deal.
..."

Oh boy, do they! I posted a Victor Hugo poem on my blog and the translation conveyed little of the original. It was very disheartening! :-(

The mask is nothing like I expected Agamemnon to look. That's what I get for watching Troy, I guess! Thanks for posting it!

P.S. Kenia is much more creative than I am on her blog! :-)

Haaze wrote: "Besides, I feel as if one writes differently on a blog -..."

:-D My daughter says I sound completely different on my blog!

Haaze wrote: "sometimes I don't feel like putting my thoughts on display...."

I do know what you mean. But sometimes we can touch other people with our thoughts, or our thoughts lead us to connect with someone in an unexpected way. I was privileged to be able to connect with someone in this way and make a difference in their lives which was really quite wonderful. You have such insight and depth to your thoughts when you post comments, that I think it would be a shame not to share those with others. :-)

Haaze wrote: "Actually, for those of you that blog and do so publicly: what is the reasoning behind it? I presume it is to build community, but it seems like commentaries and discussions on are minor..."

I think that I initially started my blog to get my thoughts down and to become more computer literate. Not very interesting, but that's it. :-Z As my blog got going though, I started to realize how few in-depth reviews there were on the classics and how many people were missing the depth these books had. Not that I have a corner on literary analysis, but by educating myself, I tried to at least start to fill that "hole". Then that led to meeting other bloggers and building a tenuous but much-appreciated community (I say, tenuous because connections online are always tenuous). I do have a number of blog-friends with whom I can have good conversations. It's not often about the book though, but some issue the book brings to light and then touches a cord in someone else and away we go. I searched for a good group on GR's for deep discussion but have not been able to find something that works. There are a few deep groups but often the comments are so copious that it takes hours to read them all. I find a blog mitigates the traffic, and there are a few of us that comment regularly on each other's blogs which makes a nice manageable community.

Haaze wrote: "Here is all of Clytaemestra's address to Agamemnon in the Morshead translation (which certainly has its own beauty compared to Lattimore's):

(Clytemnestra enters from the palace, followed by maide..."

Wow! Did you type all this yourself? Thanks! I love comparing the different translations.