Classics and the Western Canon discussion

Having major computer problems, will just post this for discussion by others and hope I can add content tomorrow.

Patrice wrote: "This is the way an old person tells a story, not quite sure of what happened or in what order. I can relate!

I love how he reminisces about the good old days
"

Poor old Nestor. I also like how he says, "Those were the days when I should have been sent to take Troy by myself! Those were the days when I could have -- not overwhelmed great Hector, but fought him to a draw..." Yeah, sure.

And then he goes on to ask why he should tell us about so-and-so or so-and-so, meanwhile telling us all about them. (there's a technical name for this rhetorical device, but it escapes me at the moment.)

It also seems that Ovid is trying to out-do Homer in the gore department -- in addition to the normal spear-through-the-temples routine, an inordinate number of soldiers get it in the groin. Youch. Perhaps this is only because Nestor is doing the narrating and Ovid is making fun of his bloviation... in any case, it is definitely over the top!

Nestor as bard--I love this!

Patrice wrote: "Love,love love this book! I think Ovid is having some fun writing his own version of the Iliad. But what I really relished was his writing in Nestor's voice. I think he really nails it. I can relate to the rambling, the forgetfulness, the living in the past. All of it...."

I too loved reading this book. So Nestor gets to rambling a little bit, but the level of detail he recalls would, to me, be impressive even for a young man.