We are heading out of town tomorrow, and so the blogs will be quiet again for a time. Before we leave, I thought I'd fill you in on what I've been reading and watching...
On my walk this morning (on a beautiful fall day along White Rock Canyon) I made it all the way to Canto 31 of the Inferno section of Dante's Divine Comedy. I am happy to say that four more cantos, and I can leave Hell behind. It's a bit grueling. I'll wait for Purgatory and Paradise before making a final verdict, but I am finding Dante pretty obscure. Perhaps it is my own ignorance that doesn't understand the plethora of ancient allusions. And I am not enjoying the language as I did with, Say, Milton, but that could be a translation problem. I suppose reading Dante in Latin (or was it Italian?) would be a wholly different and more desirable experience. I felt that way when I read a translation of Les Miserables. The story was compelling, but the language was irksome, and that was likely do to the clumsiness of the translation. This is the John Ciardi translation, so let me know, Gentle Readers, if you have opinions on translators...
In my bedtime reading, which always has to be lighter and more friendly, I am enjoying meeting all my old friends in the Fellowship of the Ring. I am happy to say that finally, at something like my third time reading and after several times through audio listening, I did not have to skip over the barrow-wights, which have previously freaked me out. I made it through with barely a blush. And now we are in Rivendell, getting all the history and implications of the One Ring. There is simply little more delightful than a great story, told masterfully!
I continue to pick away at Climbing Parnassus. And it continues to pick away at my educational assumptions.
And recently we have viewed a couple of movies that I thought were worth watching. One was called "A Good Woman" and starred Helen Hunt and Scarlett Johansson. It is an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde short story, "Lady Windermere's Fan." I thought it was well done, and unexpected (especially since I had not read the story previously.) Dave didn't like it as much as I did, but I thought it was quite good.
Even better than that, however, is the quirky little movie entitled "Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School" This was an unexpected little movie. It revealed human pain and pleasure in subtle ways, and went places I didn't expect it to go. Give it a view.
Both of these movies deal with some mature themes, and would not be good viewing by children younger than mature, older teen years. But they both are very human movies, asking important human questions. I enjoyed them!
TTFN, Gentle Readers. Perhaps I'll write from Tucson, but perhaps I'll not see you again until next week.
2 comments:
If you don't mind reading the rest of the Comedy, you should definitely find the translation by Anthony Esolen. (Do you read the MereComments blog from Touchstone? That Tony Esolen.) It's quite readable and has great end notes.
Particularly in the Inferno, Dante makes a LOT of contemporary political references, so some things are just confusing, no matter what version you read.
Ben's never read the Esolen, but loves the Sayers translation. I hear it's very beautiful but a less literal rendition because of the rhyming. Esolen renders it the poem in blank verse with occasional rhyme and, interestingly, increases the frequency of the rhyme as he progresses further into the heavens.
I can bring my copies to T-Day, if you would like them.
And it was Italian, by the way; the first great epic in a "vulgar" tongue. Milton wasn't too happy that he lost the opportunity to be first at that, but he probably thought that his poem was better anyway.
Elsa- I love reading Anthony Esolen, and would enjoy looking at his translation. For better or worse, I intend to finish it...
Can't wait to see you!
Post a Comment