20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A poor rendition of a timeless classic, August 7, 2000
This review is from: The Iliad (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)
While the words "Iliad" usually conjure bad memories of High School English classes, this great epic of the end of the Trojan War survived all these years for a reason. Homer gets a bit redundant, with his word choice and with the material (it is mostly just a bunch of people dying, after all) but this is still a good example of the sweeping, bold storytelling of the ancient Greek poets. The Iliad mostly focuses on Achilles on the Achaeans' side and Hector on the Trojans' side. It begins with the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon, and ends with Hector's funeral.
Though this is a wonderful story, and this is an inexpensive edition, I was disappointed in the way it was presented. Instead of being written in verse, like it was meant to be, it is typed in prose form, which loses the rhythm and even some of the interest. Also, the translator chose to use the Roman names of the gods, which some people prefer, but in this story particularly I much prefer the Greek names, which are more familiar (and it was a Greek war, after all.) If you are just reading this book because you have to, this edition will do just as well as any other. But if you really want to enjoy the story, look for one written in verse form with the Greek names.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"The Iliad" Compared to "The Odyssey" and Other Translations, October 25, 2008
This review is from: The Iliad (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)
Any rating of "The Iliad" has to be primarily a rating of the translation, not of the work as such. Obviously "The Iliad" does not measure up to 21st-century expectations of riveting fiction, but then again, it was not written in the 21st century and it would be silly to expect anything of the sort.
It was instead written in about 800 BCE and is *the* cornerstone of Western literature. Homer was for the Greeks what the Bible was for the Hebrews: The poems gave the loose Greek tribes a common identity in a semi-mythical history. Homer, in a way, gave *birth* to Greece, and Greece contributed significantly to the birth of Western culture.
For this reason alone, anyone who lives in or identifies with the West should read "The Iliad." We wouldn't be here without it.
Now as far as modern taste and entertainment value goes, "The Iliad" might conceivably be disappointing. It tells the war at Troy with its principle heroes Achilles and Hector, but the story ends anti-climactically with the burial of Hector. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in it, nor is the city conquered.
For the retrospective account of the Trojan Horse and the fall of Troy, one has to turn to "The Odyssey" - which is a more engrossing tale than "The Iliad" in terms of human interest, fantasy, and a satisfying ending.
Now to this particular translation, made by English novelist Samuel Butler in 1898. I found it very clear and straightforward, but one has to realize that it turns Homer's poetry into prose, thereby losing much of its beauty. Furthermore, Butler uses the Roman names for the gods and other characters (e.g., Jove instead of Zeus), which I found unfortunate.
For a prose translation that uses the Greek names, I recommend the one by W.H.D. Rouse (
The Iliad (Signet Classics)). The advantage of the Butler translation, however, is that it is in the public domain, which means that you can get it as an e-text on the internet and also as a free audio book at www.librivox.org.
Those who would like to appreciate "The Iliad" as poetry, may turn to the translation by George Chapman (
The Odyssey (Wordsworth Classics)), though that one is quite a bit harder to understand than Butler's prose.
Overall, the Butler translation is a good deal. If you are not sure, sample the text online first or listen to the free audio.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Butler translation of The Iliad, August 26, 2008
This review is from: The Iliad (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)
The Iliad (Dover Thrift Editions) After reading the Sam Butler translation of the Iliad and The Odyssey, I must say I'm quite pleased. Having been written in the latter half of the Victorian Period, the prose translation flows brilliantly. Butler's translations seem to be overlooked, which I find is quite sad being that they are astoundingly good. There are many good translations of Homer's works, and this one is certainly one of the best. I highly recommend the Butler translations of Homer.
The Iliad,
The Odyssey
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