![]() Folklore specialists will be able to cite the Aarne-Thompson number for it, but as an ancient philosopher I find its pattern in that romantic figure in Plato’s Republic (415c), the child of bronze parents who turns out to have a golden soul. ![]() 1 They will note that the theme of the disguised prince - the child of apparently humble origins who is finally recognized as a true and leading member of a higher race - traces a long ancestry through Luke Skywalker, Kipling’s Kim and the young Wat of Arthurian legend. Those who prefer Homer can find Rowling’s antecedents in Lewis, LeGuin, and Nesbitt (who first taught the world how to use children’s easy acceptance of the abnormal as a device for making magic matter-of-fact). You who would defend the Mantuan, beware of denigrating the skills of a successful popularizer. Her characters, themes, and incidents are all borrowed from a well-established tradition she has created a successful pastiche which has caught the public mood, and has herself been turned into a cultural phenomenon and media event out of all proportion to her genius - in other words, there is no slander that can be leveled at her, which does not equally apply to Virgil. I don’t suppose courses will be designed around it, but this book will certainly be a valuable auxiliary.Īs for the worth of Rowling’s opus, considered on its own merits, I have little to add to the reception it has met thus far. ![]() After the Xenophontic parasangs have lost their charm and the Euripidean trimeters are limping, students can refresh themselves with a bout of “ikarosphairik” (Wilson’s spot-on neologism for quidditch), or enjoy the bantering of Fred and George. It will also be of great value to teachers of mid-level Greek who are casting about for texts with which to encourage and entertain their students. But unlike most prose comp exercises, it is also a wonderfully good read. In its entirety, it is an extraordinary work - a prose comp. On nearly every page there is some felicity of composition to be admired, some construction that shows off the Greek language’s power and versatility, some turn of phrase that arouses admiration for the translator. It is also, in this reader’s opinion, a complete success. It is, of course, Andrew Wilson’s translation, into Ancient Greek, of J.K. It will be a delight to all Classicists, a boon to all teachers of Greek, and a possession for all time. Introduced by the Chair of the Faculty Board, Professor Robin Osborne.The book under review is surely one of the most important pieces of Ancient Greek prose written in many centuries. The Cambridge Greek Lexicon is available to order from the Cambridge University Press bookshop.Ī celebration of the publication of the much anticipated Cambridge Greek LexiconĮmeritus Professor James Diggle, editor-in-chief, details the background and highlights of the project, and Pippa Steele, Gábor Betegh, Hannah Willey, Richard Hunter and Carrie Vout each offer brief reflections on an individual Greek word and its resonances, in and beyond the lexicon. To see a sample typeset page, please click here. ![]() The Cambridge Greek Lexicon project would not have been possible without the generous support of our donors.Įmploying up-to date lexicographical practices, the new publication provides not only single-word translations, but also detailed information on meaning, context and style. The editorial team led by Professor James Diggle, Emeritus Professor of Greek and Latin, consisted of Dr Bruce Fraser, Dr Patrick James, Dr Oliver Simkin, Dr Anne Thompson, and Mr Simon Westripp. Written by an editorial team based in the Faculty, The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, which has been twenty years in the making, covers the most widely read ancient literary texts, from Homer to the Hellenistic poets, the later historians, and the New Testament Gospels and Acts of the Apostles.Īimed primarily at students, but also designed to be of interest to scholars, the editors have systematically re-examined the source material and made use of the most recent textual and philological scholarship. Cambridge University Press published the much-anticipated Cambridge Greek Lexicon on the 22 April 2021.
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