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Apr. 20th, 2006 01:32 amSo. A Roman Death. Have you read it? No? Good.
Actually, it's vaguely decent. It's about a case of Cicero's, in which he defended a lady against murder and incest. The author, Joan O'Hagan's, style isn't bad, although she tends somewhat towards telling us - for example "She moved restlessly, all her own slim blond elegance recoiling at the plump and over-bejewelled swarthiness of the other" - which is, however, substandard, and not, as I remember, typical. This sentance, on the other hand, is all too typical: "Still more girl than woman, Fufidia was charming, with a mane of silken blond hair, evidence of a distant Celtic ancestor, and happy blue eyes."
Fufidia is, I feel, another weak point. She is fourteen. I do not believe that the author remembers what being fourteen was like. I can't find examples; however, I do recall that Fufidia, with her "perfect profile," read as if she were twelve at the oldest. Also, at fourteen I most definately "notice[d] the weather", and more than "rarely [felt] tired."
The book feels more solidly written towards the end, when someone actually dies (The book is a murder mystery, 179 pages long, and it takes till page 100 for the death to happen) and during the court scene. Some of it is actually amusing, like the following poem, which someone is made to read while drunk: ( Scurrilous and long )
Not bad, if you disregard the fact that Latin poetry didn't rhyme, or that a group of poets probably wouldn't be bowled over by iambs, which weren't the natural rhythm of Latin, as they are of English, but weren't that hard, and which were held in considerably less esteem than dactyls, since they were used in "low" verse - and the "spoken" parts of Greek drama. (That's an idea - those are all recitives and the choruses are the equivalent of arias?)
Also: if you have done your research and know some Latin, especially techincal terms, you should A) use it very sparingly, when it is absolutely necessary, or B) use it all the time?
Yes, that's right! B!
"She prepared a defixio, or spell." Yes, that Latin was necessary and smoothly incorperated into the text, too!
One of the sentances I dislike very much is this one: "Quid tu ais? Num fellat?" 1. Pronouns were very rarely used, serving chiefly to emphasize the speaker. In context, this makes no sense; what she is saying should be emphasized, not who is saying it. 2. Aio is a defective verb. It has no first or second person plurals; I have never seen any form but third person singular used. From this evidence, it would seem to be a mainly literary word, and loquaris or dicis would spring more quickly to the lips of a native speaker of Latin. 3. Fallo, fallere, fefelli, falsus. An irregular verb of the third conjugation. Why in the world is it subjunctive? 4. Maybe it's a typo. OK. Why is it impersonal? It can be used that way; here the second person would seem to be more appropriate. 5. What is wrong with "Are you sure? There's no mistake?/ You're not mistaken?"
Overall, it was enjoyable - a little lacking, but not awful.
P.S. I must find a way to work the word "succedaneum" into my English term paper.
Actually, it's vaguely decent. It's about a case of Cicero's, in which he defended a lady against murder and incest. The author, Joan O'Hagan's, style isn't bad, although she tends somewhat towards telling us - for example "She moved restlessly, all her own slim blond elegance recoiling at the plump and over-bejewelled swarthiness of the other" - which is, however, substandard, and not, as I remember, typical. This sentance, on the other hand, is all too typical: "Still more girl than woman, Fufidia was charming, with a mane of silken blond hair, evidence of a distant Celtic ancestor, and happy blue eyes."
Fufidia is, I feel, another weak point. She is fourteen. I do not believe that the author remembers what being fourteen was like. I can't find examples; however, I do recall that Fufidia, with her "perfect profile," read as if she were twelve at the oldest. Also, at fourteen I most definately "notice[d] the weather", and more than "rarely [felt] tired."
The book feels more solidly written towards the end, when someone actually dies (The book is a murder mystery, 179 pages long, and it takes till page 100 for the death to happen) and during the court scene. Some of it is actually amusing, like the following poem, which someone is made to read while drunk: ( Scurrilous and long )
Not bad, if you disregard the fact that Latin poetry didn't rhyme, or that a group of poets probably wouldn't be bowled over by iambs, which weren't the natural rhythm of Latin, as they are of English, but weren't that hard, and which were held in considerably less esteem than dactyls, since they were used in "low" verse - and the "spoken" parts of Greek drama. (That's an idea - those are all recitives and the choruses are the equivalent of arias?)
Also: if you have done your research and know some Latin, especially techincal terms, you should A) use it very sparingly, when it is absolutely necessary, or B) use it all the time?
Yes, that's right! B!
"She prepared a defixio, or spell." Yes, that Latin was necessary and smoothly incorperated into the text, too!
One of the sentances I dislike very much is this one: "Quid tu ais? Num fellat?" 1. Pronouns were very rarely used, serving chiefly to emphasize the speaker. In context, this makes no sense; what she is saying should be emphasized, not who is saying it. 2. Aio is a defective verb. It has no first or second person plurals; I have never seen any form but third person singular used. From this evidence, it would seem to be a mainly literary word, and loquaris or dicis would spring more quickly to the lips of a native speaker of Latin. 3. Fallo, fallere, fefelli, falsus. An irregular verb of the third conjugation. Why in the world is it subjunctive? 4. Maybe it's a typo. OK. Why is it impersonal? It can be used that way; here the second person would seem to be more appropriate. 5. What is wrong with "Are you sure? There's no mistake?/ You're not mistaken?"
Overall, it was enjoyable - a little lacking, but not awful.
P.S. I must find a way to work the word "succedaneum" into my English term paper.
