The Iliad: The Story of Achilles
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The Iliad: The Story of Achilles
by Authors:
Homer , W. H. D. Rouse
Released: August, 1999
ISBN: 0451527372
Mass Market Paperback
Sales Rank: 42,927
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List price:
$5.95
Our price:
$5.95
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| Book > The Iliad: The Story of Achilles > Customer Reviews: |
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Average Customer Rating: 
The Iliad: The Story of Achilles >
Customer Review #1:
 Best first read
I am a retired high school and college instructor who taught the Iliad many times at both levels. The Rouse version was always my translation of choice, and it was enormously successful. The complaints (or halfhearted commendations here) miss the point. Most seem to think that Rouses "plain English" version is a diminution of the original. All translations are! Rouse merely eliminated many epithets and repetitions (necessary in the meter of the poem and unnecessary in prose). But Rouse is extremely accurate within his chosen limits and the result is a brilliant achievement: a fast-moving text (as is the original) that is colloquial where appropriate, noble sithout being stuffy when nobility is called for; the result is an always ongoing, rapidly moving narrative told in vivid, sinewy prose that simply hurtles you along. It does not attempt to give the more complex reading experience that Fitzgerald and Lattimore and Fagles achieve in their superb verse translations; but these are best reserved for second . . .or 17th readings, once the complex story and relations between characters are mastered. And indeed, none of the more famous verse translations (Popes is to be avoided: its a beautiful Augustan poem, not Homer)--none come close to Rouses focused and frightening rendering of Achilles on the battlefield, once he goes into action. In short, Rouse is in spirit thoroughly "Homeric"--by turns racy and funny, savage, noble, ultimately tragic as, e.g., the dreadful Victorian versions of Butler and Lang, Leaf, and Myers are not and should be avoided). Even with the small point-size in which the text was set, Rouses Homer is not just a bargain: its a treasure bought at a small price.
The Iliad: The Story of Achilles >
Customer Review #2:
 Homer for Dummies
I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that as a junior literature major, this is the first time I have ever read The Iliad all the way through. Though I cant compare the Rouse translation to others, I can say a few words based on my perception of it. First, youll notice that it is a prose, not poetry. This did not hinder the experience for me, but individual readers may wish to experience this classic the other way. I found it to be much easier reading than I expected, with the central characters easy to remember and follow. The story clips along rapidly and is rarely boring. The introduction states that much of the repetition that would be necessary for oral storytelling has been removed for the benefit of the reader, which I found to be a positive. However, there is still plenty of repetition of certain phrases ("and darkness covered his eyes" or "rattling armor" come to mind) and there is no shortage long lineages or lists of previously anonymous characters killed in battle. Still, it is worthwhile to get to know Homer and this seems like a reasonable translation to begin with.
The Iliad: The Story of Achilles >
Customer Review #3:
Among the best books of all time
This is an amazing book. The story of Achilles and his fellow Greeks is an amazing tale of pride, love, greed, anger, rage, and human emotion. This book is a wealth of wisdom and philosophy of the ancient Greeks told in the form of an epic. In this book, we see how the pride of Achilles nearly destroys the entire Greek army, how the greed of Agamemnon and his pride cause incalculable losses to the Greeks, and how the cowardly Paris steals a mans wife and lets everyone else fight for him. This is more than a mere story, but a book of ancient wisdom second only to the Bible. The story is amazing... but it is the demonstration of the evils of life and their consequences that make this book truly great. The feelings of the characters, and the ability to identify with their thoughts, feelings, and emotions really turn a war story into a story of the human psyche. 5 stars also go to the translator who has made this book as easy to read as any piece of modern literature.
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The Iliad: The Story of Achilles >
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