remembered_reads's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
AE Stallings’ introduction to her translation of Hesiod’s Works and Days is fantastic. It’s worth picking up this edition just for her enthusiastic commentary and notes.
leelulah's review against another edition
2.0
I had no idea I already had read this one, it's pretty short.
There are lots of things here, first a mythological account of why men must work, mainly blamed on Prometheus and Pandora (the ever living myth of the seductive woman, but created specifically by gods to deceive men) and a reference to Helen of Troy.
Of course, the justification is that work is in itself some kind of punishment for divine trangression and subject to all sorts of complicated rules such as figuring out the right time to do any sort of activity, because you don't want to make your situation with the gods worse. As much as they're on a superior level compared to mere mortals, they aren't prevented by divine wisdom of having terrible behavior.
In fact, it surprised me how morally inclined is, not that we're forced to agree with its ethics, after all it advices 30 year old men to marry off 14-15 year old girls, but those were considered the age of male maturity and the age of female fertility, respectively.
There are lots of things here, first a mythological account of why men must work, mainly blamed on Prometheus and Pandora (the ever living myth of the seductive woman, but created specifically by gods to deceive men) and a reference to Helen of Troy.
Of course, the justification is that work is in itself some kind of punishment for divine trangression and subject to all sorts of complicated rules such as figuring out the right time to do any sort of activity, because you don't want to make your situation with the gods worse. As much as they're on a superior level compared to mere mortals, they aren't prevented by divine wisdom of having terrible behavior.
In fact, it surprised me how morally inclined is, not that we're forced to agree with its ethics, after all it advices 30 year old men to marry off 14-15 year old girls, but those were considered the age of male maturity and the age of female fertility, respectively.
iconoclasts's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
kieranf's review against another edition
3.0
This review is in relation to the A.E Stallings translation. I am in two minds regarding this translation of Hesiod’s works and days. While it is amazing that the translator managed to translate the whole poem into rhyming couplets, I think this choice ultimately detracted from my enjoyment of the poem. I found that the rhymes always centred my attention on the beginning and ending of the lines, as a result I sometimes lost track of what I had Just read further up the page and I had to re-read some pages several times in order to fully comprehend the text. Although this isn’t a particularly long (epic) poem; it is difficult to keep the quality of rhyming couplets over 60-70 pages and while some rhymes worked brilliantly, others were jarring/comical and this really broke my immersion. I think this was an ambitious undertaking and I’m glad to have read it, but I would definitely not recommend this as a being a perfect introduction to Hesiod or Greek literature in general as the execution of the translation may make it overwhelming to all but the most ardent fans of rhyming couplets.
marinavarea's review against another edition
3.0
the misogyny got in the way of me enjoying this one, but I can’t blame anyone, the book was written more than two thousand years ago
djasson's review against another edition
2.0
I really like Hesiod but didn’t enjoy this translation. The rhyming scheme is forced and the introduction and notes left me wanting. If I’d encountered Hesiod first through this edition, I’d likely have just moved on. For a better translation, see Dorothea Wender’s version of Works & Days that also includes the Theogony. (I gave that edition 5 stars.)