en-US Sat, 17 Apr 2021 22:41:57 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 18885082 Odyssey that explains the factual details, mythological allusions, and Homeric conventions that a student or general reader could not be expected to bring to an initial encounter with the Odyssey. It also illuminates epic style, Homer's methods of composition, the structure of work, and his characterization. The introduction describes the features of oral poetry and looks at the history of the text of the Odyssey.

The commentary based on Richard Lattimore’s translation, since it is both widely read and technically accurate, but it will be equally relevant to other translations.

This series of Companions is designed for readers who approach the authors of the ancient world with little or no knowledge of Latin or Greek, or of the classical world. The commentaries accompany readily available translations, and the series should be of value to students of classical civilization studies, and history, for GCSE and A Level and at university. Each volume in the series includes the following: an introduction to the author and his work, with reference to scholarly views; a commentary providing explanation of detail, historical background, and a discussion of difficult or key passages; and periodic summaries of situation or content.]]> 239 Peter V. Jones 1853990388 Cleo 4 4.12
author: Peter V. Jones
name: Cleo
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2012/07/12
date added: 2021/04/17
shelves: education, commentaries, ancient-history, greek-literature
review:

]]> 207546 143 C.S. Lewis 0195003454 Cleo 5
A Preface to Paradise Lost is a compilation of Lewis' Ballard Matthews Lectures, which he gave in 1941 to students at the University College of Northern Wales. Lewis' expertise was Medieval and Renaissance literature, and while reading this book, it is apparent that he is in his element, as he covers not only Paradise Lost but also gives the reader an introduction to the genre of epic and insights into how to read it.

Lewis' initial chapters --- more than one-third of the book --- cover epic poetry, both primary and secondary, and he provides numerous examples contrasting the two, from The Odyssey, The Iliad, Beowulf, The Aeneid and, of course, Paradise Lost, to further the readers' understanding. Next, in a lecture titled, The Unchanging Human Heart, he deals with how to read a poem (or book), which is perhaps my favourite lecture of all. How do we deal with the gulf between our era and the author's? Do we read only for what is relevant to us, or do we attempt to engage with the author? Lewis deals with both approaches:

"A method often recommended may be called the method of The Unchanging Human Heart. According to this method the things which separate one age from another are superficial …�. if we stripped [off the superficialities] …� we should find beneath � an anatomy identical with our own �.. we shall find the Unchanging Human Heart, and on this we are to concentrate.

I held this theory myself for many years, but I have now abandoned it. I continue, of course, to admit that if you remove from people the things that make them different, what is left must be the same, and that the Human Heart will certainly appear as Unchanging if you ignore its changes …�. [thus] our whole study of the poem will then become a battle between us and the author in which we are trying to twist his work into a shape he never gave it, to make him use the loud pedal where he really used the soft, to force into false prominence what he took in his stride, and to slur over what he actually threw into prominence ……�.. I do not say that even on these terms we shall not get some value out of our reading; but we must not imagine that we are appreciating the works the old writers actually wrote …�

Fortunately, there is a better way. Instead of stripping the knight of his armour you can try to put his armour on yourself ……�. I would much rather know what I should feel like if I adopted the beliefs of Lucretius than how Lucretius would have felt if he had never entertained them. The possible Lucretius in myself interests me more than the possible C.S. Lewis in Lucretius …�

To enjoy our full humanity we ought, so far as is possible, to contain within us potentially at all times, and on occasion to actualize, all the modes of feeling and thinking through which man has passed …�.. Only thus will you be able to judge the work 'in the same spirit that its author writ' and to avoid chimerical criticism. It is better to study the changes in which the being of the Human Heart largely consists than to amuse ourselves with fictions about its immutability ……�."

Finally Lewis delves into Paradise Lost, but instead of summarizing the chapters, Lewis concentrates on expounding on particular characters and certain themes. He explores the poem's theology, hierarchy, Satan, Satan's followers, the angels, Adam and Eve, unfilled sexuality, and the Fall. Addressing some of the controversies over the poem, Lewis deals with the difficulties with his typical logical summations and a sprinkling of dry wit. And while mostly praising Milton's achievement, he does not hesitate to point out perceived flaws in the work, and while doing so, gives the reader a more profound comprehension of the challenges of Milton's task.

While amazingly thorough, Lewis' writing is simple, clear and understandable. His lectures encourage the reader to read critically, and his explanation of Milton's worldview is not only helpful, but necessary, to gain a good understanding of the poem. While being very readable, this guide is the definitive "go-to" book for tackling Paradise Lost for readers who want to go in-depth with their study.
]]> 4.28 1942
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Cleo
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1942
rating: 5
read at: 2014/02/14
date added: 2014/03/27
shelves: 2014-52-books-in-52-weeks, 2014-british-books-challenge, 2014-c-s-lewis-project, 2014-european-reading-challenge, 2014-mount-tbr-challenge, 2014-read-dead-writers, commentaries, classics, poetry
review:
C.S. Lewis does it again. Not only does he supply enlightening commentary to accompany a reading of Paradise Lost, but he touches on a number of other books and subjects, conveying fascinating information in an extremely accessible narrative.

A Preface to Paradise Lost is a compilation of Lewis' Ballard Matthews Lectures, which he gave in 1941 to students at the University College of Northern Wales. Lewis' expertise was Medieval and Renaissance literature, and while reading this book, it is apparent that he is in his element, as he covers not only Paradise Lost but also gives the reader an introduction to the genre of epic and insights into how to read it.

Lewis' initial chapters --- more than one-third of the book --- cover epic poetry, both primary and secondary, and he provides numerous examples contrasting the two, from The Odyssey, The Iliad, Beowulf, The Aeneid and, of course, Paradise Lost, to further the readers' understanding. Next, in a lecture titled, The Unchanging Human Heart, he deals with how to read a poem (or book), which is perhaps my favourite lecture of all. How do we deal with the gulf between our era and the author's? Do we read only for what is relevant to us, or do we attempt to engage with the author? Lewis deals with both approaches:

"A method often recommended may be called the method of The Unchanging Human Heart. According to this method the things which separate one age from another are superficial …�. if we stripped [off the superficialities] …� we should find beneath � an anatomy identical with our own �.. we shall find the Unchanging Human Heart, and on this we are to concentrate.

I held this theory myself for many years, but I have now abandoned it. I continue, of course, to admit that if you remove from people the things that make them different, what is left must be the same, and that the Human Heart will certainly appear as Unchanging if you ignore its changes …�. [thus] our whole study of the poem will then become a battle between us and the author in which we are trying to twist his work into a shape he never gave it, to make him use the loud pedal where he really used the soft, to force into false prominence what he took in his stride, and to slur over what he actually threw into prominence ……�.. I do not say that even on these terms we shall not get some value out of our reading; but we must not imagine that we are appreciating the works the old writers actually wrote …�

Fortunately, there is a better way. Instead of stripping the knight of his armour you can try to put his armour on yourself ……�. I would much rather know what I should feel like if I adopted the beliefs of Lucretius than how Lucretius would have felt if he had never entertained them. The possible Lucretius in myself interests me more than the possible C.S. Lewis in Lucretius …�

To enjoy our full humanity we ought, so far as is possible, to contain within us potentially at all times, and on occasion to actualize, all the modes of feeling and thinking through which man has passed …�.. Only thus will you be able to judge the work 'in the same spirit that its author writ' and to avoid chimerical criticism. It is better to study the changes in which the being of the Human Heart largely consists than to amuse ourselves with fictions about its immutability ……�."

Finally Lewis delves into Paradise Lost, but instead of summarizing the chapters, Lewis concentrates on expounding on particular characters and certain themes. He explores the poem's theology, hierarchy, Satan, Satan's followers, the angels, Adam and Eve, unfilled sexuality, and the Fall. Addressing some of the controversies over the poem, Lewis deals with the difficulties with his typical logical summations and a sprinkling of dry wit. And while mostly praising Milton's achievement, he does not hesitate to point out perceived flaws in the work, and while doing so, gives the reader a more profound comprehension of the challenges of Milton's task.

While amazingly thorough, Lewis' writing is simple, clear and understandable. His lectures encourage the reader to read critically, and his explanation of Milton's worldview is not only helpful, but necessary, to gain a good understanding of the poem. While being very readable, this guide is the definitive "go-to" book for tackling Paradise Lost for readers who want to go in-depth with their study.

]]> 16121977 Great Expectations, delights such as Charlotte's Web, the poetry of Hopkins and Donne, and more. This thoughtful, straight-up memoir will be pure pleasure for book-lovers, teachers, and anyone who has struggled to find a way to articulate the inexpressible through a love of story.]]> 220 Karen Swallow Prior 0692014543 Cleo 0 4.24 2012
author: Karen Swallow Prior
name: Cleo
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/07/27
shelves: to-read, commentaries, education
review:

]]> 132668 288 Dorothy L. Sayers 0849945267 Cleo 5 4.26 2004
author: Dorothy L. Sayers
name: Cleo
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2013/01/19
date added: 2013/01/19
shelves: classics-minor, commentaries, education, faith, religion, 2013-european-challenge, 2013-tbr-challenge
review:

]]> 3228917 Learn what sets high achievers apart � from Bill Gates to the Beatles � in this #1 bestseller from "a singular talent" (New York Times Book Review).

In this stunning book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"—the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?

His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

Brilliant and entertaining, Outliers is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.]]> 309 Malcolm Gladwell 0316017922 Cleo 3 commentaries, non-fiction
One example is of a lawyer who is labelled successful because he is part of one of the biggest law firms in the world and makes oodles of money ..... what about his character, how he relates to his wife and children, how he is part of the lives of people less fortunate, how he responds to the guy who cuts him off on his way to work, etc? And how can it be labelled success to have 6 to 10 year olds get up at 5 am., work at school for 10 hours per day (and an extra 5 hours on Saturday) and then go home and do another 3 hours of homework? Certainly they win scholarships and get into prestigious schools, but do they know what it's like to ice skate or how the rain feels on their tongue or how to build a fort?

This book illustrates part of what is broken in society and until we are able to see that our focus is skewed, all we will value is wealth and goods and fame at the expense of who we could grow into as people, the richness that could be nurtured in our souls. Sad .......]]> 4.19 2008
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Cleo
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2013/01/01
date added: 2013/01/01
shelves: commentaries, non-fiction
review:
I found this book somewhat sad. It appears the way we define success is by money, possessions, notoriety, grades and other factors that are readily apparent on the surface but never touch the soul.

One example is of a lawyer who is labelled successful because he is part of one of the biggest law firms in the world and makes oodles of money ..... what about his character, how he relates to his wife and children, how he is part of the lives of people less fortunate, how he responds to the guy who cuts him off on his way to work, etc? And how can it be labelled success to have 6 to 10 year olds get up at 5 am., work at school for 10 hours per day (and an extra 5 hours on Saturday) and then go home and do another 3 hours of homework? Certainly they win scholarships and get into prestigious schools, but do they know what it's like to ice skate or how the rain feels on their tongue or how to build a fort?

This book illustrates part of what is broken in society and until we are able to see that our focus is skewed, all we will value is wealth and goods and fame at the expense of who we could grow into as people, the richness that could be nurtured in our souls. Sad .......
]]> 63697 243 Oliver Sacks Cleo 5 commentaries, medical 4.08 1985
author: Oliver Sacks
name: Cleo
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2012/12/04
date added: 2012/12/04
shelves: commentaries, medical
review:

]]> 117628 184 Peter J. Leithart 1885767161 Cleo 4 4.16 2001
author: Peter J. Leithart
name: Cleo
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2012/10/18
date added: 2012/10/18
shelves: commentaries, z-tbr-challenge-2012
review:

]]> 32783 Iliad in translation have not been so well served—the many available translations contain few, if any, notes. For these readers, Malcolm M. Willcock provides a line-by-line commentary that explains the many factual details, mythological allusions, and Homeric conventions that a student or general reader could not be expected to bring to an initial encounter with the Iliad.
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The notes, which always relate to particular lines in the text, have as their prime aim the simple, factual explanation of things the inexperienced reader would be unlikely to have at his or her command (What is a hecatomb? Who is Atreus' son?). Second, they enhance an appreciation of the Iliad by illuminating epic style, Homer's methods of composition, the structure of the work, and the characterization of the major heroes. The "Homeric Question," concerning the origin and authorship of the Iliad, is also discussed.

Professor Willcock's commentary is based on Richmond Lattimore's translation—regarded by many as the outstanding translation of the present generation—but it may be used profitably with other versions as well. This clearly written commentary, which includes an excellent select bibliography, will make one of the touchstones of Western literature accessible to a wider audience.
—from the back cover]]> 293 Malcolm M. Willcock 0226898555 Cleo 5 4.18 1976
author: Malcolm M. Willcock
name: Cleo
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1976
rating: 5
read at: 2012/03/22
date added: 2012/03/22
shelves: greek-literature, commentaries
review:

]]>