Wilkinson's "Golden Latin Artistry" for Greek?
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Wilkinson's "Golden Latin Artistry" for Greek?
As the title says. After seeing it so often mentioned and praised I went and read it. Wonderful scholarship, my thanks to those who recommended it. Are there similarly recommendable texts for Greek literature? Wilkinson does touch on Greek (and English) constantly, yet the focus is naturally on Latin.
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Re: Wilkinson's "Golden Latin Artistry" for Greek?
Unfortunately not. Closest on the Greek side might be Denniston’s Greek Prose Style, still well worth reading but exclusively on prose (and like Wilkinson, hardly extending beyond the classical period). For Greek poetry there’s nothing comparable. The subject has become atomized, and overrun by linguistics.
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Re: Wilkinson's "Golden Latin Artistry" for Greek?
I'll take it. I read Dover's Greek Word Order a few years back. Plus it seems more digestible than his Greek Particles, which I've only been able to read piecemeal.mwh wrote:Denniston’s Greek Prose Style
It's really a pity there's nothing comparable. Thank you.
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Re: Wilkinson's "Golden Latin Artistry" for Greek?
I think that's because there is nothing comparable in Greek poetry to the artistry of Latin verse as practiced by Catullus, Vergil, Propertius, Horace, and eventually Ovid. Not to say that Greek poetry is inferior to Latin poetry, but the Roman poets in question really created something original and unique in the techniques they fashioned to shape and craft their verse. It's utterly different from anything I'm aware of in Greek. It may have some precedent in Hellenistic Greek poetry, particularly epigram, but the Roman poets pushed the artistry of Latin verse to another level, and their artistic achievements warrant a dedicated book-length treatment, which Wilkinson admirably provides.It's really a pity there's nothing comparable.
Bill Walderman
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Re: Wilkinson's "Golden Latin Artistry" for Greek?
Denniston wrote Greek Particles and Dover revised it, though unfortunately he did the in-place revision thing that was popular then, so as not to upset the type too much and keep costs down. Still, I find that it becomes more and more useful to me as I become able to read the examples more and more easily. I've found exactly the same with the LSJ.
I have a copy of Greek Prose Style, but I notice on Amazon that Denniston also wrote a book called "Greek Literary Criticism." Is this different from his Prose Style?
I have a copy of Greek Prose Style, but I notice on Amazon that Denniston also wrote a book called "Greek Literary Criticism." Is this different from his Prose Style?
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”
Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com
Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com