New Member looking for some advice

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Invictus
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Joined: Fri May 14, 2010 2:09 pm

New Member looking for some advice

Post by Invictus »

Hey all,

I've been coming on this forum for about a year now, just looking around and reading random threads. I am a college student who just completed my first year of Elementary Latin and Ancient Greek. I've decided to stop taking these classes and continue with my studies on my own time. The goal is to be able to read the classics, though I'm nowhere close to achieving that level of fluency any time soon. The Greek class I took was comprised mostly of seminarians and, thus, was aimed at understanding the NT in Greek. Although I've heard that the NT is the easiest text for beginners, I'd prefer to start with Homer and progress more or less chronologically. I've come across Pharr's book for Homeric Greek and his introduction argues for the use of Homer for beginners. I plan on using that text to continue my studies.

As for latin, my class used Wheelock which I was happy with. We only progressed about halfway through the book, so I plan on continuing with that text for now.

Does anyone have any advice that might come in handy for my self-guided pursuit? Is it practical to hope to continue with Homer, given my basis in Attic?

Markos
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Re: New Member looking for some advice

Post by Markos »

χαιρε ω Invictus.

I went from NT to Attic to Homer and have become a Homer junkie. Pharr says what he says because he is one of us. Homer has the artfulness and beauty of Attic and the simplicity of Koine. You are right where you should be.

You ask for advice. Set a goal. Read through all three Homeric textbooks and read six books of Homer by the end of 2010. Then set a goal to read all of the Iliad or all of the Odyssey or all of both in 2011. Read Read Read. Don't get hung up on grammar or etymology or forms. Get Geoffrey Steadman's Odyssey. Get the JACT Odyssey 21 and 22. Read Read Read. Put Stanley Lombard's Iliad on your mp3 player and listen listen listen.
οὐ μανθάνω γράφειν, ἀλλὰ γράφω τοῦ μαθεῖν.

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