Getting ready to put the reading aside and get busy writing. Who wants to join in tackling Arthur Sidgwick’s super duper classic Introduction to Greek Prose Composition? Enrollment is limited to ten, so sign up as soon as possible. 
I am still working through Sidgewick’s 1st Greek Writer so I’m not sure I’ll be up for the task this time around. I’m only on exercise 10! Definitely looking to improve my composition skills though.
Interested!
Well, there are 175 exercises. So if we do two per day, we’ll be able to get through 60 in one month. So we could do every third exercise (1, 4, 7, 10, 13…) and get through the book in one month. Then if we wanted we could repeat in July and August to finish the book. That would be a pretty hefty load at least for me, but I’m up for it.
No I agree, I work better under a hefty work load. I’m glad you said June and not May though. I’ve only just finished uni finals and I’m still reeling a little. Yet my bedtime reading is still in Latin. moron eimi.
I ordered my Sidgwick, and English-Greek dictionary (the Oxford Pocket). I’ll let you know when they arrive!
I am interested. It might be just the motivation I need to work regularly on my Greek again (post-graduation slump here).
For some reason I’m feeling rather shy about the idea of sharing my composition efforts, though…
Shy? No need to feel shy. I’m sure your efforts will be better than mine. I’m worried about not being able to compose quickly enough. Given that Scribo is probably three times faster than I am, and probably willing to spend twice as much time, I am worried that I will only produce 1/6th as much. Please don’t be shy. I need you to help me tag team Scribo!
I’d like to join in if it’s still possible, but which edition will you be using?
Since I do not have a Wordpress account to download the copy from here,
I thought to get a copy from the Internet Archive but they have so many different copies
of it (latest available is 13th ed., 1908), I’d like to know which one to get.
Well, as you say there are a lot of editions. We’ll have to play it by ear and see if there are any big divergences. If there are, then we can switch to a single edition available at archive.org
There is still plenty of time. We may not get underway for another week. People are still recovering from exams. It may stretch into July anyway. But if you are eager to start, you can start reading the big section before the exercises (It even gets honorable mention from cb).
Update: OK, I read the introduction and Sidgwick adheres to a philosophy of making minor changes only from edition to edition in order that students with different editions be able to coordinate their studies. And a quick comparison of the editions on archive.org bears this out. I have the fifth edition, but as far as I can tell there are no major changes for the sixth edition. Indeed, it appears that he didn’t even feel the need to add a new note for the 6th edition as he had for earlier editions. I didn’t see a 5th edition so here is the link to the 6th edition: http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924021601392 The Sidgwick looks pretty awesome by the way. I think this is going to rock!
Agenda
- Where are we going to put our answers? Just here in the thread? Or is there some kind of location?
- It would be nice if everybody who is going to participate would declare the amount of time they are planning to allocate just so we get some idea of how quickly we will move.
- I think we should plan on taking the next week to read the 100 or so pages of NOTES. But we better get busy writing ASAP, so let’s say that the first exercise (#1) should be handed in on the 9th!
I’m planning on putting 3-4 hours per day into this so that works out to about 1.5 Nate hours or about 30 Scribo minutes or 5 Irene minutes. But I got my Greek keyboard rolling and my new Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary has a map of Greece, so I am good to go! 
It may be a good idea if we all work through the 13th edition, 1908,
as it got some error correction, further explanations where needed, and expanded vocabulary
in the later exercises.
For anyone in his first or even second year, and is looking for a neatly organized and illustrated
review of the material needed to ace your final exam, this is the one book get.
That’s fine. If you read what he says, the changes are minor. There are no changes to the exercises and that is the key thing as far as we are concerned. The biggest change is that he gives a bit more vocabulary.
Haha I think you’re over estimating me,but I’m flattered non the less. Still! this will be a wonderful little month, I hope it doesn’t cripple my Modern Greek/Sanskrit times though.
Also, OMG EPUB EDITION?! This is most exciting.
OK, here is the tentative schedule. I gave it some thought and I decided that it would be best not to have one due every day as people need a bit more flexibility, so I opted for roughly three every three days or six per week. For those who want a faster pace (maybe me, maybe not me, I dunno) I gave a second set of Extra Credit Exercises. If you have any objection to this schedule please post an alternative.
SCHEDULE:
DATE EXERCISES
June 9: 1
Extra Credit: 2
June 12: 5, 10, 15
Extra Credit: 6, 11, 16
June 16: 20, 25, 30
Extra Credit: 21, 26, 31
June 19: 35, 40, 45
Extra Credit: 36, 41, 46
June 23: 50, 55, 60
Extra Credit: 51, 56, 61
June 26: 65, 70, 75
Extra Credit: 66, 71, 76
June 30: 80, 85, 90
Extra Credit: 81, 86, 91
July 3: 95, 100, 105
Extra Credit: 96, 101, 106
July 7: 110, 115, 120
Extra Credit: 111, 116, 121
July 10: 125, 130, 135
Extra Credit: 126, 131, 136
July 14: 140, 145, 150
Extra Credit: 141, 146, 151
July 17: 155, 160, 165
Extra Credit: 156, 161, 166
July 21: 170, 175
Extra Credit: 171
Are we to post our answers here or some other place?
Also, is there going to be C&C of each other’s attempts? After reading the part
about idiom, my brain hurts and I’m sure I’m gonna mess up a lot in the exercises.
Yeah, I guess we will just post our answers here. Maybe when the thread grows to a hundred pages others will get curious and join. I figure we’ll just post our answers and any questions or comments about them and others can comment as they see fit.
Thanks, pster. I wanted to ask about one sentence in the sections about idiom.
I don’t understand how he raised the standard of revolt was turned to
φανερῶς ἀπέστη, and what exactly does it mean.
he raised the standard of revolt>he raised the flag of revolt>he openly revolted>he manifestly revolted> manifestly he revolted>φανερῶς ἀπέστη
Just be thankful that we are going from English to Greek and not the other way around!
I am interested. It might be just the motivation I need to work regularly on my Greek again (post-graduation slump here).
For some reason I’m feeling rather shy about the idea of sharing my composition efforts, though…
IPHIGENIE: Kann uns zum Vaterland die Fremde werden?
ARKAS: Und dir ist fremd das Vaterland geworden.
IPHIGENIE: Das ist’s, warum mein blutend Herz nicht heilt.
(Goethe, Iphigenie auf Tauris)
Mr. dich thuat