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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Bowdlerized Aristophanes!,
By
This review is from: Complete Plays of Aristophanes (Bantam Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
I can accept some stilted language; after all, some of these translations are about a century old. I can accept the lack of notes. But I can not accept translations of Aristophanes that cut some of his funniest scenes! For instance, in the translation of Thesmophoriazusae, the unmasking of Mnesilochus (line 600 and after) is gutted. Lines 610-617 are gone (Mnesilochus' urination excuse), but more importantly, the whole climax of the scene -- the hilarious physical comedy where he tries to maintain his female disguise (lines 643-649) -- is nowhere to be seen. It's hard to imagine that an editor would allow 19th century prudery to ruin a 20th century edition of Aristophanes, but there you are. Despite the cheap price, this book is no bargain. Spring for the more expensive (if a bit less literal) Penguin versions.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed by a Bad Translation,
By
This review is from: Complete Plays of Aristophanes (Bantam Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
The plays of Aristophanes comic masterpieces, but not in these old-fashioned, stilted translations. I have read other translations of some of these plays. When properly translated, they are witty in much of their wordplay, frequently ribald and often funny. The language of the present translations, on the other hand, is stiff, obscure and scarcely readable. The publisher has done us a great service by compiling all of the Aristophanes plays into a single volume, but should reissue the collection in a better, more modern translation, one which does justice to the original.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
a dreadful translation of classic work,
By
This review is from: Complete Plays of Aristophanes (Bantam Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
do NOT purchase this translation. it makes one of the funniest writers of all time boring. this translation is as bad as the previous reviewers have indicated. the best, and most hilarious, translation that i've seen is a 1938 version that , i think, eugene o'neill worked on as an editor or something. however, aristophanes should definitely be checked out by afficionados of ancient greek literature as well as anyone interested in comic writing that'll make you laugh out loud. he's one of the titans of world literature.
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