Discussion is continuing in the Forum about Xenophon Memorabilia ahead of the Book Club hangout(s) on Tuesday March 26. Meanwhile here is a foretaste of the Spring/Summer selections. As in previous years, we will tackle a longer work in its entirety during June, July, and August, although those who are taking vacations over that period will be able to join in whichever sections you can. Further details will be posted… Read more
After our previous post about snow and winter, we were inspired by this delightful fable from Aesop: Χειμὼν καὶ ἔαρ. Χειμὼν ἔσκωψε εἰς τὸ ἔαρ καὶ αὐτὸ ὠνείδισεν ὅτι εὐθὺς φανέντος ἡσυχίαν ἄγει ἔτι οὐδείς, ἀλλ’ ὁ μέν τις ἐπὶ λειμῶνας καὶ ἄλση γίνεται, ὅτῳ ἄρα φίλον δρέπεσθαι ἀνθέων καὶ κρίνων, ἢ καὶ ῥόδον τι περιαγαγεῖν τε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὄμμασιν, καὶ παραθέσθαι [ἣ] παρὰ τὴν κόμην· ὁ δὲ ἐπιβὰς νεὼς… Read more
We were excited to welcome back Gregory Nagy of Harvard University, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature and the Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington, DC. The topic of the discussion was “Homo ludens at play with the songs of Sappho: experiments in comparative reception theory.” The event was streamed live on Thursday, March 14, 2019, and was recorded. In preparation, you… Read more
[Socrates] said that he often heard it stated that of all possessions the most precious is a good and sincere friend. “And yet,” he said, “there is no transaction most men are so careless about as the acquisition of friends. For I find that they are careful about getting houses and lands and slaves and cattle and furniture, and anxious to keep what they have; but though they tell one… Read more
This time our Core Vocab exploration, taken from terms listed in H24H[1] and tracked in the associated Sourcebook[2], is about ainos [αἶνος] ‘authoritative utterance for and by a social group; praise; fable’; and the related word ainigma [αἴνιγμα] ‘riddle’. In H24H 2§60, Gregory Nagy says: Here is my working definition of this word: an ainos is a performance of ambivalent wording that becomes clarified once it is correctly understood and then… Read more