Young Heretics

Who's that dime walking down the temple corridor? Is it Juno? Venus? Diana? Cleopatra? No, it's Dido, queen of Carthage and warrior princess of Tyre. In this episode, Virgil introduces one of literature's all-time greatest heroines, high on her throne but doomed to fall. She's demure...or is she? She's mother...or not? Whatever she is, she's always a woman to me. And to Aeneas, who at this point can't do much more than stare at her like a dope.  Use code HERETICS to get 20% off Field of Greens: fieldofgreens.com Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com  

When I tell you my finger smashed the "order now" button--apparently there's a fragmentary translation of the Aeneid by C.S. Lewis that he was working on all throughout his life. It's a rhyming version in 12-syllable Alexandrine lines, and you KNOW I had to do a review of it. Here are my thoughts, as well as a little more on Lewis's theory of epic and his lifelong relationship with Rome's greatest narrative poem.  Use code HERETICS to get 10% off Field of Greens: fieldofgreens.com Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Check out a new review of the book at Law and Liberty: https://t.co/lHSo8yotG8

Of all the gin joints on all the shores of the Mediterranean, Aeneas had to wash up onto this one. He doesn't know it yet, but this is Carthage: the home of what will become Rome's greatest rival and the ultimate obstacle in her rise to greatness. The genius of Virgil is how he tells us all that while also showing us what things looked like from Aeneas' vantage point--before the clash of civilizations was made manifest, and when the immediate point at issue was where to get something to eat. Here's the key to understanding Virgil's opening moves.  Use code HERETICS to get 10% off Field of Greens: fieldofgreens.com The End of Everything, by Victor Davis Hanson: https://a.co/d/iCDan7I Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Check out a new review of the book at Law and Liberty: https://t.co/lHSo8yotG8   

If you've ever wanted to make the ladies or the fellas swoon with just three little words, now is your chance. I'm talking, of course, about the words "arma virumque cano." So few syllables, yet they say so much. In fact, they connect Virgil's epic to Rome and Greece, past and future, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the human and the divine realms, all at once. And each one is a kind of transformation of what went before it. Digging in deeper can help show the power of language and translation. It's time for another episode of words, words, words.  Use code HERETICS to get 10% off Field of Greens: fieldofgreens.com A helpful list of translations: https://foundinantiquity.com/2023/12/05/do-we-have-too-many-english-translations-of-the-aeneid/#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20there%20is%20not,English%20translations%20of%20the%20Aeneid. Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM

Aeneas really, really does not want to be in this poem. As in, he would rather be dead. That's how the Aeneid starts out: when we're introduced to our hero he's a very unwilling participant in a grand plan for world history, and he doesn't feel remotely up to the task. Virgil might have felt the same way, crushed under the political and artistic pressure of telling a founding story for Rome's new era. Which makes this a perfect time to read the poem, as a troubled America gets ready to celebrate 250 years since its own founding.  Use code HERETICS to get 10% off Field of Greens: fieldofgreens.com A helpful list of translations: https://foundinantiquity.com/2023/12/05/do-we-have-too-many-english-translations-of-the-aeneid/#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20there%20is%20not,English%20translations%20of%20the%20Aeneid. Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Mailbag: Check out Omeros, by Derek Walcott

Discover the intriguing world of Virgil's Aeneid translations, as the speaker delves into their merits and flaws. From the myth of a C.S. Lewis adaptation to the impact of modern interpretations, each translation reveals unique insights into classical literature. Enjoy a reading of varied translations while uncovering the importance of meter and style. The discussion also touches on how personal experiences shape the understanding of epic poetry, connecting timeless themes to contemporary culture.

It's a new year, and it's time for a new epic. You asked, we delivered: here comes Virgil's Aeneid! BUT FIRST: while we were gone over the Christmas vacation, Twitter descended into an intoxicating madness of epic adaptation, debate, and counter-programming. I'll recap the major points and give my take on: Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, whether you should have heard of Homer before, and what you should think of Emily Wilson's new translations. Then we'll launch into our new series for the year, on the little Roman epic with big hopes to rival Greece. Use code HERETICS to get 10% off Field of Greens: fieldofgreens.com Read my review of Emily Wilson's Odyssey and Iliad translations: https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/homer-without-heroes/ Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM I maked this: "The Crisis of Purpose in the West": https://www.heritage.org/conservatism/report/resurrection-or-surrender-the-crisis-purpose-the-west  

I wanted to like this movie. Really, I did. I tried to like it. But modern realism is just totally unsuited to the Homeric epics and like, also...maybe to telling a coherent story at all? Ralph Feinnes and Juliette Binoche are both terrific actors, but The Return failed for me at every level and here's why. Plus: read more at The New Jerusalem.  Register for Spring courses at The Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ Join in the Rejoice Evermore Advent Calendar: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/p/coming-soon-light-of-the-world-the Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM

And the Inkling Award goes to... This year, for the first of what I hope will be many times, I'm announcing my awards for the best books I read in four categories, with one bonus: Non-Fiction  Criticism Fiction Theology Bonus Category: Worst Book of the year You can find links to the winners above, and a few runner-ups here, here, here, here, and here. Who will win? Who belly-flopped the hardest? Were there any good movies this year? All this and more, plus a preview of things to come. Register for Spring courses at The Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ Join in the Rejoice Evermore Advent Calendar: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/p/coming-soon-light-of-the-world-the Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM

"I cannot rest from travel," says Odysseus in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Ulysses. But wasn't resting from travel...kind of the whole point? Come to think of it, what does happen to an indelible character when his story comes to an end? Maybe the answer is, it doesn't. As a coda to our series on Homer, here's one last look at Odysseus through the years, as his story has inspired everyone from Dante to Spongebob. Register for Spring courses at The Ancient Language Institute https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ Check out iBreviary: https://www.ibreviary.org/en/ Join in the Rejoice Evermore Advent Calendar:  Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Listen to EPiC, the Musical: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2kdmTOXncgNHSuYVMhdd5I?si=t3N9X8bGSPmp6ZX5t7QDRw Simon Netchev’s Odyssey Map: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15906/odysseus-ten-year-journey-home