It's All Greek to Me

"Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone, and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?"

OK, yes, the movie Troy may not be the best representation of the epic poem The Iliad, however I do not care; Brad Pitt shirtless, throw in a couple of fantastic quotes, and you have yourself a wonderful night. On that note, this post will be mainly Greek-related because it happens to be one of my majors. First, I'd like to give a little recommendation for all you wonderful readers: The Iliad, by Homer, Translated by Stanley Lombardo. I have read many different versions and translations of this great story, however, Lombardo's is the greatest I have found. The language used in this translation makes the read easier, and more enjoyable to the modern reader. For example, while Aphrodite is trying to convince Helen to appease Paris by going to his bed chambers, and Helen refuses, Aphrodite responds with "Don't vex me, bitch!" I can honestly say I laughed out loud the first time I read this. Although this seems like an odd interpretation of such a classic, I can assure you Lombardo still retains the original feel of this epic that is meant to be read aloud.
So, whether you are a first-time Iliader or a veteran, I have no doubt in my mind that you would enjoy this translation, I highly recommend it. And no, if you are wondering, I have not read the Fagles translation, but I hear it is also fantastic.
Moving along...I was lucky enough to be able to spend five weeks of my summer last year on a study abroad-archeology program in Greece. Being the big myth-buff that I am, I got to see quite a few places associated with some of my favorite legends. Here are some pictures I took in some of my favorite locations!

One of our first destinations: Delphi Here we took a very long bus-ride from Athens, to the mountainous region of Delphi. After climbing up an absurdly steep hill, I got to see The Temple of Apollo, which has been a dream of mine for so many years. In myth: Delphi was known throughout Greece for being the place to go if you want an "answer" from the Gods. The Oracle of Delphi has been mentioned in many a Greek myth, and as you find out in these stories, the God's answers are never what they appear to be.

Several days later we took a trip to Mycenae, one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been to. In myth: Mycenae is the home of Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War, in The Iliad.

Here is the famous "Lion Gate" at the front of the small mountain that is Mycenae. The last trip we took during our stay in Greece was to Santorini Island. This island is completely gorgeous, and whenever you see a postcard or picture of Greece, this is typically what you are seeing; intense-blue water, white houses on the side of the mountain.

In myth: This island is theorized to be one of the possible places that contains Atlantis, underwater, if it ever existed at all.

So, concluding with the Greek theme, we have put up a new poll on the right---->
Hope you all enjoyed this little tidbit of Greek learnin'. We hope on having a couple of reviews up this week, along with another exciting episode of 'Where in the World is William Shakespeare?' Hope you all had a great weekend.

-mischief managed-

It's All Greek to Me

"Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone, and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?"

OK, yes, the movie Troy may not be the best representation of the epic poem The Iliad, however I do not care; Brad Pitt shirtless, throw in a couple of fantastic quotes, and you have yourself a wonderful night. On that note, this post will be mainly Greek-related because it happens to be one of my majors. First, I'd like to give a little recommendation for all you wonderful readers: The Iliad, by Homer, Translated by Stanley Lombardo. I have read many different versions and translations of this great story, however, Lombardo's is the greatest I have found. The language used in this translation makes the read easier, and more enjoyable to the modern reader. For example, while Aphrodite is trying to convince Helen to appease Paris by going to his bed chambers, and Helen refuses, Aphrodite responds with "Don't vex me, bitch!" I can honestly say I laughed out loud the first time I read this. Although this seems like an odd interpretation of such a classic, I can assure you Lombardo still retains the original feel of this epic that is meant to be read aloud.
So, whether you are a first-time Iliader or a veteran, I have no doubt in my mind that you would enjoy this translation, I highly recommend it. And no, if you are wondering, I have not read the Fagles translation, but I hear it is also fantastic.
Moving along...I was lucky enough to be able to spend five weeks of my summer last year on a study abroad-archeology program in Greece. Being the big myth-buff that I am, I got to see quite a few places associated with some of my favorite legends. Here are some pictures I took in some of my favorite locations!

One of our first destinations: Delphi Here we took a very long bus-ride from Athens, to the mountainous region of Delphi. After climbing up an absurdly steep hill, I got to see The Temple of Apollo, which has been a dream of mine for so many years. In myth: Delphi was known throughout Greece for being the place to go if you want an "answer" from the Gods. The Oracle of Delphi has been mentioned in many a Greek myth, and as you find out in these stories, the God's answers are never what they appear to be.

Several days later we took a trip to Mycenae, one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been to. In myth: Mycenae is the home of Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War, in The Iliad.

Here is the famous "Lion Gate" at the front of the small mountain that is Mycenae. The last trip we took during our stay in Greece was to Santorini Island. This island is completely gorgeous, and whenever you see a postcard or picture of Greece, this is typically what you are seeing; intense-blue water, white houses on the side of the mountain.

In myth: This island is theorized to be one of the possible places that contains Atlantis, underwater, if it ever existed at all.

So, concluding with the Greek theme, we have put up a new poll on the right---->
Hope you all enjoyed this little tidbit of Greek learnin'. We hope on having a couple of reviews up this week, along with another exciting episode of 'Where in the World is William Shakespeare?' Hope you all had a great weekend.

-mischief managed-

Where in the World is William Shakespeare?

'09 Literary Tour Extravaganza
Next Stop: Next Stop New Yawk - Fuhgeddaboudit

Hey folks. Padfoot and Prongs here bringing you what we hope will be a new fun weekly (possibly bi-weekly depending on brain capacity) post about the wide world of literary places to visit. Both Padfoot and Prongs have an intense desire to one day take a road-trip across the country (and maybe one day other countries) to see some of the places that inspired some of the great works of literature that we love. In preparation for that, and as a treat for all of you, we have decided to start putting up a post once a week featuring different states and some of their literary tourist points. Now we realize we might not hit all of the books and reference points that every one out there would like to see, but we are going to do our best to get some of the main ones. If you have any suggestions please feel free to throw them out there.
Each week we will be doing a new state until hopefully we get all 50. (Prongs - I'm pretty much convinced nothing cool ever happened in Idaho but I guess we will see. Sorry if you are from there.)

Alright so if you couldn't tell by the title, this week we are doing the great state of New York!! Not only is New York Prong's alma mater , but it is also home to some of the most prominent writers of our time. Joining Prongs on the list are Walt Whitman, Jonathan Lethem, Henry James, William S. Burroughs, and F.Scott Fitzgerald along with countless others.
So where would we stop on our literary tour? We can thank New York times for pretty much doing the work for us on this post. Here you can find a pretty amazing compilation of some of the best works that came out of literary history, and find where they are referring to on the map of Manhattan. #9 is Ellison, with a reference to Invisible Man, and for any King fans out there, #42 is spoken about in the Dark Tower series. However here are the ones we would most be interested in stopping at:

#81 Washington Square Station - Reference: William Burroughs, Naked Lunch

The beat generation is possibly on of the most interesting movements in recent literary history, and it all started in NYC. I'm sure you all know who the 'Beats' are but just in case you need a refresher, some names include Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs.

"I can feel the heat closing in, feel them out there making their moves, setting up their devil-doll stool pigeons, crooning over my spoon and dropper I throw away at Washington Square station, vault and turnstile and two flights down the iron stairs, catch an uptown A train."

#42 727 and 5th Avenue - Reference: Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's

Alright so while possibly known better for the movie, this short novel by Capote still came first and it is important for everyone to remember the roots of the things we love. The Tiffany's store still stands today, and sometime you see those crazy die hards out front trying to live vicariously through Audrey Hepburn.

"Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. "

#38 Central Park - Reference: J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye

While Holden Caulfield may possibly be one of the most annoying, immature characters in literary history... at least he was being whiny somewhere cool. The best part (to us) about Catcher in the Rye is hearing all of his expereiences across NYC.

"Hey Horwitz," I said. "You ever pass by the lagoon in Central Park? Down by Central Park South? "Yeah, what about it?" "Well, you know the ducks that swim around in it? In the springtime and all? Do you happen to know where they go in the wintertime, by chance

And of course no stop in New York would be complete with out the strand. While not necessarily the site of one of the most significant moments in literary history, it is still a mustttt for any book lovers. With over '18 miles' of books, it is basically our Mecca.

Alright folks so if you are still hanging in there after this incredibly long post then congratulations! We hope you have enjoyed yourself on this weeks post please make sure to grab all of your belongings before leaving. Make sure to stop by next week when ever visit our homeland, Ohio!

-mischief managed-