Terence Irwin, Cornell University
Reeve's translation . . . is careful and reliable; it captures the sense of the Greek in clear and idiomatic English.
Thomas K. Hubbard, University of Texas, Autin
Peter Meineck has produced a lively, idiomatic translation of Aristophanes that should be eminently accessible to the modern student.
Book Description
Lampooned in 406 B.C.E. in a blistering Aristophanic satire, Socrates was tried in 399 B.C.E. on a charge of corrupting the youth, convicted by a jury of about five hundred of his peers, and condemned to death. Glimpsed today through the extant writings of his contemporaries and near-contemporaries, he remains for us as compelling, enigmatic, and elusive a figure as Jesus or Buddha. Although present-day (like ancient Greek) opinion on "the real Socrates" diverges widely, six classic texts that any informed judgment of him must take into account appear together, for the first time, in this volume. Those of Plato and Xenophon appear in new, previously unpublished translations that combine accuracy, accessibility, and readability; that of Aristophanes' Clouds offers these same qualities in an unbowdlerized translation that captures brilliantly the bite of Aristophanes' wit. An Introduction to each text and judicious footnotes provide crucial background information and important cross-references.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek
About the Author
C. D. C. Reeve is Professor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Trials of Socrates: Six Classic Texts FROM THE PUBLISHER
Lampooned in 406 B.C.E. in a blistering Aristophanic satire, Socrates was tried in 399 B.C.E. on a charge of corrupting the youth, convicted by a jury of about five hundred of his peers, and condemned to death. Glimpsed today through the extant writings of his contemporaries and near-contemporaries, he remains for us as compelling, enigmatic, and elusive a figure as Jesus or Buddha. Although present-day (like ancient Greek) opinion on "the real Socrates" diverges widely, six classic texts that any informed judgment of him must take into account appear together, for the first time, in this volume. Those of Plato and Xenophon appear in new, previously unpublished translations that combine accuracy, accessibility, and readability; that of Aristophanes' Clouds offers these same qualities in an unbowdlerized translation that captures brilliantly the bite of Aristophanes' wit. An Introduction to each text and judicious footnotes provide crucial background information and important cross-references.
Author Biography: C. D. C. Reeve is Professor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
This volume contains C. D. C. Reeve's translations of Plato's , , , and the death scene from ; Peter Meineck's translation of Aristophanes' ; and James Doyle's translation of Xenophon's . Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)