Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations

Angeles

Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations | Mary Beard

Another great read from Mary Beard. She makes Rome and Greece fascinating

8 likes

ravenlee

Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations | Mary Beard

so-so

This wasn‘t what I thought it would be, but I can‘t grade down for my misunderstanding. Beard‘s “confronting” isn‘t at all confrontational: this is really just a collection of her book reviews. I did learn a fair bit from those, but her very problematic dips into rape culture and nostalgia for the “good old days” when it was accepted that teachers mixed tutoring with groping drop this a full level. Think I‘m done with Beard.

Alfoster Huh? I taught high school for 40 years and don‘t ever remember that being “acceptable.” When were those “good ole” days???😱😝 3y

ravenlee @Alfoster she‘s talking specifically about uni-level, or perhaps just below, when professors would set up sessions with their students and the women would have to endure pats on the bottom at best to get the individual tutoring. She reminisces about pre-1980 in one of the last sections of the book (had it not been one of the last I wouldn‘t have finished it). Apparently she has some fondness for these old days🤨 3y

Alfoster Yikes! That‘s still nuts! Glad that never happened to me in college (which was pre-1980)😳 3y

ravenlee @Alfoster I was in college 20 years ago, and while there were plenty of professors engaging in inappropriate acts with their students, they were at least a little less open about it. They weren‘t just groping any female who happened to show up in their classes. But yeah, this whole bit really has me 😡 3y

Alfoster Thankfully we avoided it!👍😝 3y

25 likes5 comments

ravenlee

Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations | Mary Beard

Okay, first came the dubious representation of cultural plunder as rape and all its problems. Now Beard is waxing poetic about the bygone days of teachers regularly molesting their students as part of “tutoring.” I‘m at a loss. Seriously? “The erotic dimension of pedagogy - which had flourished, after all, since Plato…” 🤢🤬

23 likes

ravenlee

Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations | Mary Beard

This whole section about cultural plunder as ‘rape‘ is really rubbing me the wrong way, and the explanation of date rape. The low rate of conviction has much more to do with power, putting victims on trial, and the unwillingness of authority figures (police and legal figures) to pursue the process in the first place. This is from a review circa 2008, which feels too recent for such a misunderstanding. Is it just me?

ShyBookOwl It is NOT just you. That also rubs me the wrong way. 3y

Ruthiella A poor analogy, I agree. 3y

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian 🤢 gross 3y

5feet.of.fury Yeah that was unnecessary.. and icky. 3y

30 likes4 comments

Cinfhen

Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations | Mary Beard

So I completed my personal challenge of confronting 12 classics over the past 12 months and surprisingly I really enjoyed 5 of them. Stoner even made my #20Best2020 list 🤓Thanks for pushing me out of my comfort zone @Reviewsbylola

Reviewsbylola Well done! You‘ve got some great books on your list! 5y

Cinfhen But....I‘m out in 2021, Steph xx @Reviewsbylola 🤣 5y

TrishB 👏🏻👏🏻 well done 5y

See All 11 Comments

Hooked_on_books “Surprisingly I really enjoyed 5 of them” 🤣 Oh man, I can‘t stop laughing! I‘m sure you didn‘t intend that to be funny, but it really ticked my funny bone. I wonder if this challenge was kind of like getting a cavity filled. 😂 5y

Reviewsbylola Hahahaha, I doubt I‘ll run it anyway. I still plan on reading classics but I‘m shit at running challenges. 5y

merelybookish Nice! Now you know you can read classics you just choose NOT to. 😅 I also have Stoner in my Top 20. 5y

Megabooks @Hooked_on_books Lolololol!! Does sound like a bookish cavity filling! 5y

KarenUK Now I‘m trying to guess which were the 5 you really liked! So it‘s Stoner.... and..... 🤷‍♀️ 5y

Cinfhen Hahaha @Hooked_on_books @Megabooks I initially did approach reading classics like going to the dentist...something not really pleasant but necessary. However I really liked & enjoyed Stoner, Rebecca, Alice, Mysterious Affair and Revolutionary Road. The only one I didn‘t care for was Shakespeare but that was more style/language ( story was great) @merelybookish @KarenUK @Reviewsbylola I can probably be persuaded to go for a 6month cleaning 😉 5y

HOTPock3tt I loved Rebecca!! I read it this year too, and it‘s my fave book of the year @Cinfhen (edited) 5y

Cinfhen Agreed @HOTPock3tt Rebecca was excellent/ I listened on audio and the narration was perfect 5y

83 likes11 comments

Bambolina_81

Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations | Mary Beard

My latest Mary Beard 😊 can't wait to get started on this, just a couple of others to finish first...or will I bother? 😂

Sarah83 Haven't heard of her before.. 🤔 8y

Bambolina_81 @Sarah83 check her out! 8y

Sarah83 I really have to. Which book is a good start? 8y

Bambolina_81 @Sarah83 I started with

Women & Power: A Manifesto

52 likes1 stack add4 comments

Sophoclessweetheart

Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations | Mary Beard

• What are you #currentlyreading ? I am around 60+ pages into Confronting the Classics by Mary Beard and am in awe of the woman! I'm also eyeing The Bloodprint ARC on my shelf that @harpercollinsuk surprised me with and think I'll start that next✨🍂 #classicsstudent #inkandwonderdesigns #ancienthistory #marybeard #book #booklover #bookstagram #bookblogger #bibliophile #met_createchange

20 likes

Sophoclessweetheart

Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations | Mary Beard

• I'm going to start Mary Beard's Confronting the Classics alongside The Rise of Athens because my reading has been non-existent for the last three days and I feel like I need to make it up. ✨🍂#classicsstudent #marybeard #classicist #ancienthistory #book #booklover #bookstagram #bookblogger #bibliophile #met_createchange

rabbitprincess This is on my to-read list! Looking forward to your thoughts. 8y

Sophoclessweetheart @rabbitprincess I shall be sure to share x 8y

14 likes2 stack adds2 comments

Welcome to Litsy!

Trending Hashtags

Trending Books