Ariosto's Orlando Furioso [Paperback]

Lodovico Ariosto (Author), Sir John Harington (Translator), Rudolf Gottfried (Introduction)

Product Details

• Paperback: 351 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press: A Midland Book (January 1, 1966)
• ASIN: B0006DL77Q
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,782,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great poem in an unfortunately abbreviated edition, September 24, 2007

By 

Ryan "The Doctor" (Meadville, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ariosto's Orlando Furioso (Paperback)

This is an old and now out of print edition of John Harington's 1581 translation of "Orlando Furioso" the bizarre and wonderful epic-romance written earlier in the 16th century by Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto.

Harington's translation captures the wit and fantasy of Ariosto's strange poem in an easy to read and engaging verse format. Harington's poetry is usually at least functional, and often quite good, although he has his lapses into dull, plodding rhythms. Still, he is funny, ribald, yet with that false air of propriety the Elizabethans found necessary to mask their work.

Alas, no complete edition of Harington's translation exists that I know of. This edition contains the majority of the story of Orlando, as well as the story of Bradamante and Rogero. However, it is really just more than 1/3 of the total poem, with only 10 of the original 46 cantos, with excerpts from 7 more. That means that 29 cantos are completely absent from this text. Oh well. I guess there just isn't much demand for this work, which is a shame, because I feel like its fractured and absurdist narrative would appeal to modern sensibilities.