Reviews

The Georgics of Virgil: Bilingual Edition by Virgil

lbarsk's review against another edition

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4.0

Dirt, trees, beasts, bees. What more could you want? Takes some getting through on the first go-round, but if you look closely there's a lot more than meets the eye.

exlibris_sofia's review against another edition

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5.0

absolutely loved, especially the epyllion in book IV

chamomiledaydreams's review against another edition

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2.0

The imagery is beautiful throughout, but I don't appreciate the subtle nuances of animal husbandry and cultivation enough to really enjoy it. The part about Orpheus and Eurydice catches my interest much more than any other portion of this book!

ccharland's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring slow-paced

4.0

halisalome's review against another edition

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less of a wtf ryan book (ryan is my ren lit prof) than hesiod's theogeny but only because the chapter on bees was cool, and also virgil was an astrology hoe, you can't change my mind

spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition

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2.0

Translation by L.P. Wilkinson.

mrsmarch's review against another edition

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4.0

It's a good, solid translation, in accessible English. Book 4 in particular is very Virgilian in style; he really hits his stride in the epic-mythic stuff. The first three books just didn't sound like him at all, and I don't think it's an issue of the translator. Clearly he was still a young poet and polishing his style. Still, a good read.

adelou's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

1.0

maelisann's review against another edition

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2.0

brutal

graywacke's review against another edition

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4.0

A very different experience then the public domain translation I read earlier. Wilkinson was just really helpful. He has what I thought was a great introduction. And his translation is easy to follow. When I read the other version I spent all my effort just trying to understand the sentence I was reading, and I had a lot of trouble seeing the bigger picture. In this translation suddenly it was all really very clear, and I could spend more time entertained that Virgil would spend stanzas on soil types or other seeming mundane things (along with plagues, and many calls to mythology, some quite wonderful.) There is some cost to this clarity, something of the poetic affects are lost. But, well worth it, I think.

For more on the content, see my other review HERE

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73. The Georgics by Virgil, translated by L. P. Wilkinson
composed: 29 bce
translation 1982
format: 160 page hardcover
acquired: library
read: Dec 4-9
rating: 4