Latin-? Classics in Literature?

[docoflove1974]

Question for those of you who are well-verse in Latin literature...

 

I'm looking for good (aka reliable) versions of works by Petronius and Plautus, primarily, which have been translated to modern language (be it English, Spanish, or Italian). It has to be 'reliable', because I wish to use it not only for personal reading, but for further research, too. Are there any dual-language editions that are recommended?

 

After perusing Amazon, I know that Oxford does publish an edition of Satyricon, but I don't know if it's a dual-language edition. Same with the Penguin edition.

 

As for Plautus, Amazon has a complete set of the comedies, along with the Penguin edition of 'Pot of Gold' and other stories, and Oxford's edition of the 4 comedies.

 

I'll be looking at Terence, probably, at a later date, but because my comrads have recommended Plautus and Petronius for looking at 'Vulgar' vs. Classical Latin examples, I figure I'd at least read the comedies first!

 

Thanks in advance!

[Pantagathus]

I've always consider the Loeb Editions to be somewhat of a gold standard if you want the work in the original across the page from the translation.

[The Augusta]

I've always consider the Loeb Editions to be somewhat of a gold standard if you want the work in the original across the page from the translation.

 

Pan has beaten me to it, Doc. I was going to suggest a visit to Lacus Curtius to see just what is online from the Loeb translations. If you find what you are looking for there, the book may still be available to buy in parallel translation. I bought my Loebs through Cambridge here in the UK, but I believe it is Harvard(?) in the US. Be warned though - they tend to be a little expensive as they are in hardback. Not so bad for one volume, but if an author's work runs to several volumes, you are looking at a sizeable outlay. Pliny the Elder's Natural History, for instance, is prohibitive in the Loebs - even though such a collection would grace any bookcase.

Edited May 24, 2007 by The Augusta

[docoflove1974]

Thanks for the warning and the suggestions...yes, Loeb is through Harvard UP here in the States...but if need be, and if the cost works in my favor, I might have other options for obtaining volumes if Loeb is the way that I'll go.

 

And, of course, the LC...I totally forgot online corpora. Any others that are worth mentioning?

 

Any others?

[The Augusta]

Thanks for the warning and the suggestions...yes, Loeb is through Harvard UP here in the States...but if need be, and if the cost works in my favor, I might have other options for obtaining volumes if Loeb is the way that I'll go.

 

And, of course, the LC...I totally forgot online corpora. Any others that are worth mentioning?

 

Any others?

 

If you can bear the slow nature of the site, Doc, Perseus has some Plautus - but not all in translation.

 

The Link is here

 

But if it is parallel translations you are after, I think it has to be Loeb. I'll keep digging for you - see if I can find anything else. Can anyone else help out?

[docoflove1974]

Thanks, hun...and everyone else. I'm trying to line up a few projects so that when this blessed dissertation is done-done, I have stuff to do in the interim (besides lesson planning, breathing, eating, and enjoying a bit of time off...that'll take about 10 minutes...hehe).

[Silentium]

Question for those of you who are well-verse in Latin literature...

 

I'm looking for good (aka reliable) versions of works by Petronius and Plautus, primarily, which have been translated to modern language (be it English, Spanish, or Italian). It has to be 'reliable', because I wish to use it not only for personal reading, but for further research, too. Are there any dual-language editions that are recommended?

 

After perusing Amazon, I know that Oxford does publish an edition of Satyricon, but I don't know if it's a dual-language edition. Same with the Penguin edition.

 

As for Plautus, Amazon has a complete set of the comedies, along with the Penguin edition of 'Pot of Gold' and other stories, and Oxford's edition of the 4 comedies.

 

I'll be looking at Terence, probably, at a later date, but because my comrads have recommended Plautus and Petronius for looking at 'Vulgar' vs. Classical Latin examples, I figure I'd at least read the comedies first!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

A reliable Latin/Italian version is that of BUR (Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli), in case it could be of help .

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

Too bad you don't read french for you could have worked with the Bude collection which is also a dual edition of a somewhat higher standard than the Loeb and with a bigger amount of comments, both philological and historical. But they have the same problem than the Loeb : cost. In fact they are even a bit more costly than Loeb : for 4 Loeb Xenophon books I paid 100

[Andrew Dalby]

Too bad you don't read french for you could have worked with the Bude collection which is also a dual edition of a somewhat higher standard than the Loeb and with a bigger amount of comments, both philological and historical. But they have the same problem than the Loeb : cost. In fact they are even a bit more costly than Loeb : for 4 Loeb Xenophon books I paid 100

[Nephele]

Parallel texts are handy, but sometimes you have to decide that you'll use separate texts and translations. The English translation of the Satyricon by Branham and Kinney (U. Cal. Press and Everyman) is excellent, with good notes, too.

 

Ah, thank you for that recommendation, A.D. -- I'll be checking later to see if I have that in my public library's collection. We have many of the Loeb Classical Library volumes, but there's been some contention regarding the problem of the original translators for this otherwise outstanding series having tended to "clean up" certain passages deemed rude. I understand that they are now working on putting the salty language back into the text, and that they're getting around to revising a few volumes each year.

 

I see that The Satyricon has been included among the recent Loeb revisions, although I'm sure I wouldn't know which bits might have been missing from the old, or put back in the new. Do you have any comments on the current Loeb edition of The Satyricon? Does the revised LCL edition do Petronius justice?

 

In the meantime, I've an intriguing copy of "The Satyrica Concluded" set aside for my reading on the train tomorrow morning! Many thanks for that, A.D.!

 

-- Nephele

[Andrew Dalby]

Parallel texts are handy, but sometimes you have to decide that you'll use separate texts and translations. The English translation of the Satyricon by Branham and Kinney (U. Cal. Press and Everyman) is excellent, with good notes, too.

 

Ah, thank you for that recommendation, A.D. -- I'll be checking later to see if I have that in my public library's collection. We have many of the Loeb Classical Library volumes, but there's been some contention regarding the problem of the original translators for this otherwise outstanding series having tended to "clean up" certain passages deemed rude. I understand that they are now working on putting the salty language back into the text, and that they're getting around to revising a few volumes each year.

 

I see that The Satyricon has been included among the recent Loeb revisions, although I'm sure I wouldn't know which bits might have been missing from the old, or put back in the new. Do you have any comments on the current Loeb edition of The Satyricon? Does the revised LCL edition do Petronius justice?

 

In the meantime, I've an intriguing copy of "The Satyrica Concluded" set aside for my reading on the train tomorrow morning! Many thanks for that, A.D.!

 

-- Nephele

 

 

Ah, I'm glad it reached you safely, Nephele!

 

Unfortunately I haven't seen the Loeb revision of the Satyricon yet. Maybe we need a review of it ... Jeffrey Henderson (who wrote an admirable book about rude words in Greek, and is now general editor of the Loebs) is the right man to make sure they pull no punches. The (fairly) new Loeb edition of Martial, by Shackleton Bailey, is very good, in my view (but it's 3 volumes, so pretty expensive).

 

EDIT: That's the same Shackleton Bailey who has just been mentioned in another thread by MPCato. And the same Shackleton Bailey who was not only a fine classicist but also Lecturer in Tibetan at Cambridge.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Andrew Dalby

[docoflove1974]

Yeah, French is kinda out...I can read it, and generally understand it, but I'm not fluent in it, so I'd rather not. My best 'weapon' in reading the Miracles of Our Lady was a volume with Gautier de Coinci's Miracle de Nostre Dame, Gonzalo de Berceo's Milagros de Nuestra Senora and King Alfonso X's Cantigas de Santa Maria put together by Cesare Segre...so the originals had the modern Italian translations with it. It was the only way I could be sure of the French! I can read French linguistic writings, because of the technical terms and my limited knowledge of the grammar. But a project such as this, where my knowledge of Latin is even shakier than that of my French, I need something I can read fluently. That pretty much leaves English, Spanish and Italian!

 

Outstanding suggestions by all of you...I'll definitely look into Branham and Kinney, AD; using separate texts might have to be the way to go, considering the cost of the Loeb editions (unless I stumble upon them in a used book store...what a find that would be!).

 

As for online texts...I remember taking a course on La Divina Commedia many moons ago, and supplementing my textbook with a site online with text. I got lucky, as the site I was using was pretty good (and I've long ago lost the site address), but I couldn't believe how many partial and incorrect sites there were! For something as well-published as La Divina Commedia!

Edited May 25, 2007 by docoflove1974