Still seeking answers to four questions regarding my relationship with CLassics
M Brandl <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.education.classics |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
Miguel Abrantes: You asked: "1- What led you to study Classics? 2- What is the most unexpected thing you learned through your study in Classics? 3- What impact did studying Classics have in your life? 4- If you could recommend a single book or article to other readers, what would it be, and why?” Here is my reply. "1- What led you to study Classics? At age 11 I entered a religious girls’ high school in 1948 and was taught Latin by the nuns. Greek was no longer then taught by the nuns - but was still taught in some public high schools I believe. I did well and went on to matriculate and then study Latin at University. By then I deeply regretted not having been taught Greek - which was the the constant referent in Latin studies (and Roman history). In Ancient Civilisations I came across Greek history and Greek tragedies and HOMER! I loved Vergil and Horace and Catullus. I did something about the lacunae in my Greek language 60 years later thanks to the advent of online classes. What a shock! It still is - all those verb endings :-) 2- What is the most unexpected thing you learned through your study in Classics? That human and life and aesthetic themes and issues dealt with in the Classics are ever-constant and the outcomes always relevant. Quite extraordinary. Always surprising. 3- What impact did studying Classics have in your life? A profound impact. And still does - as basic as knowing the meanings of words… Everyday - and everywhere. Even in my work as an anthropologist in third world and pre-literate cultures and societies. 4- If you could recommend a single book or article to other readers, what would it be, and why?” The ancient Greek tragedies. Plato’s “Republic”. Horace’s odes. Catullus’s love poems. Please add these replies to your other 25 answers and more from all over the world. And please share your compilation with us. I have lived a long life and wouldn’t have missed the Classics for anything! Sincerely, M. Brandl Australia