Clark, Brett. The Bloody Funny History of Rome. USA: Philologos Media, 2008. 300 PHOTOS, MAPS, ILLUSTRATIONS, AND CARTOONS This lasciviously illustrated and hilarious book carries the reader on a first-class sedan tour of Roman history, from Aeneas fleeing the Trojan War, to the foundation of Rome, and the bloody battles culminating in the Greek invasion of Italy by King Pyrrhus. There are asides on Roman culture, and synopses of Homer, Virgil, Ovid, in fact snippets of almost every ancient writer from Theopompus and Martial to Lord Byron and James Joyce. Everything is covered, from toga tying to wig wearing, or uncovered, from Latin loving to Etruscan sex. The casual reader will laugh as they learn, while the expert will smile as familiar episodes show their funny side. If your ancient Greek slave reads you only one book on Rome ¿ this should be it! Clark has a BA in Classics and Ancient History, specializes in Roman history, and has studied firsthand the major world Roman archaeological sites. "In the spirit of the Cartoon History of the Universe, Clark's new book offers a witty and irreverent, but well-informed, account of early Roman history. The book's humor is sustained throughout, and it should certainly appeal to classicists and historians. I can well imagine its taking on a cult status with educated readers (especially with university students) fond of a good joke." W. Jeffrey Tatum Professor of Classics Florida State University. Author of The Patrician Tribune. "Readers can expect much that is clever in combination with the odd gross moment, and you will quite literally find sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll within these pages. On the other hand, the learned nature of the work should not be overlooked. Clark has studied Roman history formally and has trawled through the ancient sources thoroughly. Even serious historians might at least partially accept his point that the purpose of history is to give us a laugh (for if we really learnt anything from it we'd stop repeating our mistakes)!" Tom Stevenson Professor of Classics and Ancient History University of Queensland "There is such a quantity and variety of laudable aspects to this volume, but most obviously, Clark's book is flat-out funny! We find informative limericks, clever word play, and cartoons which sparkle with the same sly wit as the prose and poetry. Clark has a simply outstanding command of source material, a sophisticated and deep understanding of Roman social and political history, and the skilled hands of a master story-weaver. He has a knack for bringing the obscure, bizarre, and deliciously titillating corners of Rome into full light. In short, Clark offers something that many academics dream of in their most secretive hearts: an informative and interpretive history of the Roman Republic that is also a crowd-pleaser. Bloody Funny? Bloody brilliant, I say!" Jeffery B. Knapp Associate Professor of Humanities and Latin Tallahassee Community College "Clark's completely unique history is filled with cartoons, outrageous puns ("The slain in Spain fall mainly on the plain"), and witty often bawdy limericks. Because Clark is willing to accept ancient historical accounts at face value ("I can't swear that everything recounted here is true, but they say it is"), he is able to present them in a way that is more entertaining to the modern reader than it must have been to the ancient listener. A heady mix of schoolboy history and Pythonesque humor, it still holds together. Seemingly, Clark is able to present every amusing anecdote from the entire Loeb Classical Library." James Grout, Encyclopaedia Romana "Wonderful! In all seriousness, it's really one of the best books I've read on Roman history. In between laughing your silly head off, you learn too. And I wish I was an Etruscan!" Karen Schrom, Ancient Worlds Net
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Learned Romp...a LOMP!!,
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This review is from: The Bloody Funny History of Rome (Paperback)
I've immersed myself in this subject, plowing through books good and ill. Some books are frothy, some give you the feeling of slogging uhphill through mud. Some are scholarly, some try to be, some dense enough to give new shading to the meaning of dense. I've read the Neighborhoods of Augustan Rome, Sallust, Dionysios of H, Cicero, Dio Cassius, the Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, books about the Seven Hills, Tacitus (do I sound like I'm showing off here???) ...and never, NEVER have I been educated so charmingly; that is, when I wasn't convulsed with laughter because convulsions are not always so charming.
You know, they say that men and women have differing senses of humors, and they could be right. For instance, I simply don't get the Stooges (unless fronted by Iggy Pop.) Brett Clark's book seems to disprove that theory, because everyone I know who has perused, gender aside, loves this work. I know it caused me to laugh out loud several times and that hardly ever happens. Or maybe even never. This book is likened to the Cartoon Histories; my son is a big fan and so I've read several. Sorry guys, but this is funnier. And so spot on- no slippery slopes of sloppy scholarship here! If you love ancient Rome, if you want to love ancient Rome, if you just need some laughter in your life, buy this book. I'm ordering my second copy now.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not bloody funny, bloody hilarious!,
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This review is from: The Bloody Funny History of Rome (Paperback)
Who says history can't be fun? This is a delightful romp through Roman history by someone who not only knows his history but has the wickedest sense of humor around.
Anyone who wants to have fun and learn some history should buy this book. Hell, buy several copies and give them to friends. *OK, Yer Straboness, do I get a kickback for a good review?*
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