Thelxinoë
A modern adaptation of Euripides' classic, this play stays close enough to the original that the association with the ancient playwright's name feels justified, but plays with the source material and language enough that it feels entirely modern.
The most important change Teevan thought of was the language and style. Closer to modern plays but still in verse like the original, it strikes a beautifully stylistic balance. The language is innovative and at times beautiful; I liked the idea of word creation and neologism he introduces, which, in addition to being an interesting, eye-catching feature, also serves to add a note of classical antiquity that clashes strongly with some of the vocabulary choices he otherwise makes; this effect was mostly as peculiar and pretty as Teevan meant it to be, but certain words he opts for while adapting this stylistic device feel almost unsuited in a way, and I am not entirely sure that this was purposeful on the playwright's part.
I greatly enjoyed reading it, and would have likely loved watching this live. As it is a quick read, what with it being a play and all, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something to kickstart a neglected reading habit.
A very informative book. Its writing alternated between scholarly, witty, and forced - the latter likely being the result of the writing process being based on turning lecture notes into an accepted book format. The main reason I rate it no more than three and a half stars, however, is the fact that it was oftentimes less focused and less informative than a book would need to be in order to earn a higher rating. Still, some of the chapters were very well done.
Beautifully written, this is the standard against which I measure all other historical fiction novels I read. I found it to be well researched but without overexplaining the information resulting from said research in unnatural ways (unlike some other works in this genre). The story and the characters are really compelling, also. This book may not be quite literally a five star book, but it comes close enough that giving it 'only' four and a half feels like a sort of injustice.
This is my preferred translation of the Iliad into English. The actual epic is beyond a single layperson's ability to review sufficiently in a succinct comment, so I'll only say this is my favourite piece of literature. Analysis of the themes and style is plenty to be found, for anyone interested. Suffice to say the themes and philosophical questions it raises on topics like mortality are going to be forever relevant. For that reason, I would say this book is a universal recommendation I'd offer if asked.
This work is less intimidating than it appears to be, especially if one chooses a good, modern, scholarly translation. On that aspect, Caroline Alexander offers a good balance between readability and fidelity to the original, her verse flows beautifully, and she allows the humanity of this work to shine in a way other translations don't. I also have to appreciate her introductional notes giving a short overview on current scholarship.
Another translation I think an English-based reader should check out is the one by Richmond Lattimore, though I admit I've only read excerpts of his - I am, however, familiar with his work as a translator of both Greek epic and Greek lyrical verse, and he is well-established and esteemed with good reason.
For the most part, this collection features some excellent translations - apart from Emily Wilson's, whose verse I have to admit doesn't quite agree with my sense of rhythm, and who made some pretty inexplicable changes in her translations (which was quite a pity because her translational work definitely had potential). The crowning translation of this collection was Oedipus Rex by Frank Nisetich, which is by far the best translation of this play I've seen and which was the main reason I purchased this book after reading a copy. However, most translations included were close to excellent. I also appreciated the introductions to each author and each play, as well as other informative material.
This will, as such, be an excellent introduction to Aeschylus and Sophocles, though it doesn't quite do Euripides as much justice.
A startlingly relevant essay on women and literature, its value to authors and readers alike is not in any way diminished in the near-century since its publication.
It is wonderfully written, with prose in a style one would associate with literary fiction rather than (stereotypical) nonfiction, and incredible wit.
Its insights, advice, style, and (indirect) book recommendations are certainly reason enough for me to recommend this book to any reader; but, if you're still hesitant to pick up a book that is both nonfiction and also a classic, I will point out this book is both quite short and also available for free to check out as an ebook or audiobook in any platform that offers public domain literature, such as standard ebooks, project Gutenberg, and librivox.
