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Robotswithpersonality
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Mehso-so

The gods made me do it! 🙄
How is it I never remember that the Iliad does not end with the fall of Ilium (Troy), not even the fall of Achilles, but rather the funeral rites for Patroclus and that poor bastard Hector? Kind of a let down from a narrative perspective. The whole thing feels like it's building not just to a showdown between Achilles and Hector, but also to whether Troy will be spared or destroyed, and the book ends before you have 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? an answer! If memory serves, I think the Odyssey covers the aftermath, but it's not a very satisfying reading experience to recognize you need to read another epic to compete the tale. You know how I feel about cliffhangers.
Also from an 'all Greek myth has gotten jumbled in my head perspective' it doesn't help that the beginning of the Iliad does not start with the reasons for this conflict, the story is very much in media res,
4mo
Robotswithpersonality 3/? the campaign has been going on for years, you find out why every one is mad and fighting as it goes along.
The text is fairly heavy handed in putting forth what were the societal values of the day: honouring your host, and they honouring your solemn requests in turn, not being lost to pride or rage, affording the proper honours to the gods and the dead.
4mo
Robotswithpersonality 4/? I'm sure the text has been mined many times for what it has to say about the culture, trade, every day customs of ancient times - with the proviso of anything with this many immortal participants can't be considered too factual. Do NOT get me started on how women (that includes goddesses) were represented and treated in the text. Talk about enforcing the values of the time. 😑 4mo
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Robotswithpersonality 5/? Speaking of the text, I can appreciate the plain language, how easy it was to comprehend, but maybe some of the poetry of this epic has been lost in this particular translation? Granted I don't have a professor to explain the more complex bits this time 'round, so for a public library edition it's probably for the best!
Regardless of translation, two things stood out to me:
4mo
Robotswithpersonality 6/? Metaphors/similes for battle are heavy on the power of nature, group of soldiers like wave, stampede, etc, also hunting scenes, either men hunting prey, or predatory animals hunting prey. It's one form of violence describing another at the end of the day, but it's a solid reminder for how brutal those times likely were, how brutal war always is. 4mo
Robotswithpersonality 7/? Another heavily repeated theme were stories of families, particularly a focus on lineage, frequent digressions in the text, to prove the honour of this or that soldier is to cite their history, to introduce a new player is to mention who they're related to.
Speaking of, I know it was a good strategy to have whole sections of text repeated if you're going to have to remember to perform this whole thing orally back in the day,
4mo
Robotswithpersonality 8/? but it feels kind of ridiculous reading a copy paste of two paragraphs ago all over again. I would be completely on board for a radical reduction of the text along the lines of 'and Isis delivered the message as Zeus had dictated' END OF SCENE.
You'd drop a good chunk off the word count without harming the narrative, I daresay improving the flow. Alas, Homer is hallowed ground these days, and I think most would pitch a fit at the idea of
4mo
Robotswithpersonality 9/9 edited reproduction. That's why retellings exist. 😉

⚠️Domestic abuse, slavery, ableism, animal death, gore, misogyny
4mo
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Robotswithpersonality
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New plan: Greek myth-sci-fi-fantasy fusion; can someone please write a story about the golden handmaids of Hephaestus?
I now have a mighty need for ancient Greek robot narratives! 💛🤖🏛️🏺

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Robotswithpersonality
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That's right, Zeus, nothing more seductive than telling your wife you suddenly find her sexier than all the women you cheated on her with, (a partial list). 😑🙄

dabbe One of my favorite parts! 😂 4mo
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blurb
Dilara
Le Justicier d'Athnes | Petros Markaris
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During the Greek economic crisis that started in 2009, someone takes it upon themselves to blackmail rich tax evaders into paying their taxes or face death. Victims are left to be discovered in various archaeological sites, including Kerameikos (pic from Wikipedia). Police chief Kostas Charitos is on the case, but things turn political and popular sentiment is on the vigilante‘s side.
I never quite got into this novel, but it was a quick read.

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Robotswithpersonality
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Ancient Greek smack talk. 🤌🏻

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Robotswithpersonality
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He saved the horsies. 🥹 Though I do question the primary argument of leaving them behind because he thought they'd be hungry, when driving chariots into battle would arguably have been the more dangerous part of being present in a war/siege zone. 🤔 🐴

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ravenlee
The Iliad | Homer
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I was so excited to get this #bookmail this week! I preordered it, but it shipped before the release date, so I was completely surprised. I need to find the time to focus on it, which is hard to do at the moment. But soon, yes…soon.

TheBookHippie Oh I want this too!!! Enjoy! 5mo
dabbe The Fagles' translation is my favorite, but I can't wait to read what you think about this one! I haven't read it yet! 🤩🤩🤩 5mo
ravenlee @dabbe I have a collection of Iliad and Odyssey editions (Odyssey is my favorite). I loved Wilson‘s Odyssey, so I‘ve been very eagerly awaiting her new work in paperback. Eventually I want to read all of my copies close together and compare them. 5mo
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dabbe @ravenlee What's your favorite ODYSSEY translation? 5mo
ravenlee @dabbe I used the Fitzgerald translation in undergrad, and it‘s my gold standard. He changed spellings to try to be more true to the original (Kirke instead of Circe), but it makes it confusing in places (like the Phaiakians). But the flow overall is really good. 5mo
dabbe @ravenlee I don't know how those spellings would work for me, but I might give him a try. Thanks for your knowledge! 🤗 5mo
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Robotswithpersonality
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That's because you're a DICK, Agamemnon. 🙄

CBee He is SUCH an ass 😳😳 5mo
Robotswithpersonality @CBee Everybody say: “Thank you, Clytemnestra.“ 🔪😏 5mo
dabbe @CBee Ass with a capital “A“ that starts his name! 😂 5mo
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CBee @Robotswithpersonality YES! Thank you, Clytemnestra 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😂😂😂 5mo
CBee @dabbe Asshat Agamemnon 😂😂 5mo
dabbe @CBee #perfection Achilles kinda fits that description, too! 😂😂😂 5mo
CBee @dabbe oh my gosh he does 🤭🤭 5mo
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review
Super_Jane
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Pickpick

3.75/5 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑

Reading greek plays in Greece. 🇬🇷 🏛️🏺

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Billypar
Illiad | Homer
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#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude
This week I'm going to recommend Open Mike Eagle's podcast 'What Had Happened Was' where each season he interviews an artist or figure significant to hip hop. Making the interviews season-long instead of varying by episode means you get about a memoir's worth of stories. I found it via a Spotify recommendation because I'm a longtime fan of Questlove's podcast, and he's the interview subject for Season 4 👇

Billypar So I already knew going in that Questlove, who definitely has the gift of the gab, would go into exhaustive detail on the making of The Roots' first four albums, and I was not disappointed. Open Mike Eagle lets him take the reins mostly, but he's got good instincts about when to jump in for a quick clarifying question or reaction. If you're a Roots fan, I highly recommend, and if not, then I recommend first becoming a Roots fan 🎶 🎛🎚🎧🥁🎤🎶 9mo
Billypar I also highly recommend Open Mike Eagle's music: this is my favorite album of his: https://open.spotify.com/album/1VDnqZVFSg0xVF104kaIix?si=ubit5ZU-Rxmm4jxp3D8yOw 9mo
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BarbaraBB I love some hip-hop so will absolutely check this out! 9mo
TieDyeDude That is so cool! I became aware of Open Mike Eagle through his guest appearances on the Thrilling Adventure Hour. He was always a highlight. I will have to check this out; love the Roots and Questlove. Questlove seems like a very interesting individual. His other projects are so diverse. Have you seen the Summer of Soul documentary? 9mo
Billypar @BarbaraBB The Roots reference so many other hip hop acts in their music that the podcast touches on quite a bit - enjoy! 9mo
Billypar @TieDyeDude I didn't know about the TAH but I've also seen him on the Netflix doc History of Swear Words. So he clearly enjoys a variety of projects! Questlove has definitely reached mogul status between okayplayer, his new publishing company, his Oscar, and books. I've seen the first half of SoS but got interrupted and have been meaning to watch the rest. It's great to see how much original footage he was able to use. (edited) 9mo
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