Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Epic of Gilgamesh by Danny P. Jackson, Robert D. Biggs, Thom Kapheim ISBN: 0-86516-352-9 Publisher: Bolchazy Carducci Pub. Date: July, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.91 (11 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The first great hero in the history of Western literature
Comment: "The Epic of Gilgamesh" dates from the third millennium B.C., making it the oldest epic poem in world literature. It is a relatively short work, which explains why over half of this little volume introduces the ancient text of the first ancient hero. The fullest extant text of the Gilgamesh was found in the Akkadian-language on 12 incomplete clay tablets found at Nineveh in the library of the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal. The narrative gaps have been filled in, somewhat, by fragments found elsewhere. Historians think that Gilgamesh might have been a ruler in southern Mesopotamia, although there is no historical evidence for any of the exploits covered in this narrative or the five poems written about the hero. Cultural anthropologists believe that Gilgamesh was a great king whose name became associated with pretty much every major legend or mythical tale in that culture.
The epic breaks down into six main narratives, the two most famous of which would be "The Story of the Flood," with its obvious parallels to the stories of a great flood in the Bible and Ovid's "Metamorphoses," and "The Coming of Enkidu"/"Ishtar and Gilgamesh, and the Death of Enkidu." "The Epic of Gilgamesh" is the fundamental mythic tale in Western Civilization, but tends to be relegated to the shelf in most classes unless in happens to be included in an anthology. His quests for the Spring of Youth and immortality have been echoed in so many other tales. I have always thought that Gilgamesh is a more important figure than Beowulf, but that would be a decidedly minority opinion. I just wish this little volume was not so expensive because I think that hurts its utility in classes dealing with mythology, legend and/or folklore.
Rating: 3
Summary: Very readable
Comment: I am always suspicious of books with introductory material nearly as long as the text (61 pages vs. 96 pages). Unfortunately, this book confirms my prejudice. The front material provides an easy and useful summary of the material, history of the translation, the 19th century shock at the flood myth etc. The material is superficial - appropriate for late high school students looking for the "good stuff" without any interest in the depth of the story. The translation itself is very readable - almost too much so as the missing portions of the text are nearly invisible. The illustrations are very appropriate to the text as translated. I would recommend this volume for use as a very early introduction to epic literature or as a light summer read.
Rating: 2
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: I teach Gilgamesh every year in my Freshman Honors Seminar, and it has always been one of my and my students' favorite texts. That is, until the anthology I was using put out a new edition and switched from David Ferry's to Jackson's translation. I found that Jackson managed to obscure (or just ignore) most of the important themes of the work. He gives his reader no sense of the bond between Gilgamesh and Enkidu; his account of Enkidu "becoming human" through his interactions w/ the temple harlot focuses almost completely on sex, with no hint of Enkidu's growing self-consciousness. Next year I'm bagging the anthology and going w/ a self-contained copy of Ferry.
 |
Title: Popol Vuh : The Definitive Edition Of The Mayan Book Of The Dawn Of Life And The Glories Of by Dennis Tedlock ISBN: 0684818450 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 31 January, 1996 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
