Author Topic: Nominations for our next Classics books discussion (Read 85672 times)

kidsal · « **Reply #120 on:** September 02, 2011, 03:10:41 AM »

We have a winner!!

A page from the 1470 Ulrich Han printing of Plutarch's Parallel Lives.

The readers have spoken and our next read October 1 will be: Plutarch (c.46 A.D.- c. 120 A.D.) in his famous "Lives" or Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans; also called Parallel Lives.

   Schedule:

   Oct. 1-7: Pompey

   Oct. 8-14: Artaxerxes

   Oct. 15-21: Alcibiades and Coriolanus

   Oct. 22-28: Demosthenes and Cicero

   Oct. 29-31: Windup

VOTE: ARTAXERXES and SOLON

ginny · « **Reply #121 on:** September 02, 2011, 06:42:02 AM »

Thank you, Sally!

I've put a link to clickables of each of the people in the heading: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/p/plutarch/lives/

Makes it easy to search them out.

JoanK , can't wait to hear about your visit from JudeS and her husband!

Babi · « **Reply #122 on:** September 02, 2011, 09:23:14 AM »

Oh, this is harder than I thought. My off the cuff list is way more than two; it's even way more
than four. I'm going to have to pore over these a bit more. but I'll vote as quickly as I can.

Frybabe · « **Reply #123 on:** September 02, 2011, 04:01:06 PM »

Yes it is hard to pick. I downloaded a version from Amazon that has a very nice preface, a bio of Plutarch and a section on the Civil Wars in Rome. I just realized that it does not include the comparisons. Hmmmm. Good thing Kidsal put up the University of Adelaide site. Too bad I didn't see this before I ordered. Oh well.

I think I will go with Alcibiades and Sertorius.

Babi · « **Reply #124 on:** September 02, 2011, 04:24:39 PM »

Okay, first of all, this was hard. And I am impressed to see that so much of what we know of
these ancient Greeks and Romans is due to Plutarch. Some, like Cicero, Cato, Caesar, are
written about by a number of historians. I found two that seem to be know to us only thru'
Plutarch. One is Lycurgus, (of Sparta, not Athens) who seemed to be most influential in shaping
the history of those two countries. And Artaxerxes II, brother of the younger Darius, a most
colorful figure who also is little known outside Plutarch (and the Bible, of course).
So, for those reasons, I'm voting for Artaxerxes II and Lycurgus of Sparta.

Frybabe · « **Reply #125 on:** September 02, 2011, 04:40:13 PM »

Great choices, Babi and Kidsal. I almost picked Artaxerxes too, but finally decided on Sertorius.

JoanK · « **Reply #126 on:** September 02, 2011, 09:58:14 PM »

I had a GREAT time, yesterday with JudeS and her husband Don. They came to my place and we talked non-stop for qalmost 3 hours. My son told mr later that there had been a small earthquake while we were talking, but I hadn't even noticed. What nice funny, interesting, intelligent people. SENIORNETTERS ROCK!

Now to do my homework on the Plutarch selections!

roshanarose · « **Reply #127 on:** September 02, 2011, 11:28:19 PM »

ARTAXERXES AND CLEISTHENES (OR POMPEY)

I hope you realise that being a Libra this is an almost impossible task for me. I mean culling out such fascinating people and having to make a decision

I would love to meet my fellow senior learners, but it's a long way to the shop if you want a sausage roll. Stolen shamelessly and reworded from AC/DC.

Babi · « **Reply #128 on:** September 03, 2011, 08:41:19 AM »

Perhaps that explains it, ROSHANA. I'm a Libra, too.

$:-\$

roshanarose · « **Reply #129 on:** September 03, 2011, 10:28:21 PM »

Babi - It's very handy having a valid excuse for procrastination.

Babi · « **Reply #130 on:** September 04, 2011, 08:43:58 AM »

Shucks, ROSHANA, at our age we don't need excuses.

ginny · « **Reply #131 on:** September 04, 2011, 09:12:26 AM »

It IS a hard, almost impossible choice and we really appreciate your trying to make it. Here's the slate so far: (please DO holler if I missed your vote).

Week I: Pompey

Week II: Artaxerxes (3 votes: not compared with anybody)

Week III: ??

ARTAXERXES and SOLON

Alcibiades and Sertorius.

Artaxerxes II and Lycurgus of Sparta.

ARTAXERXES AND CLEISTHENES

Week IV: Demosthenes and Cicero

OK last call, what is it the auctioneers say? Going once, going twice.....it looks like Artaxerxes may be one of those for Week II? Or Week III, he's been voted on three times, so let's give him a slot, but who else?

OR will those we have not heard from yet swing the vote?

I could write down what I know of these Greek gentlemen on the palm of my hand (and could not spell any of them) so I'm excited to be participating in our second read. At the end I will be interested to see which biography I thought was the most surprising and memorable. I hope. So exciting!

Going once, going twice.....what's YOUR vote for Week III?

ginny · « **Reply #132 on:** September 04, 2011, 09:14:09 AM »

My youngest son is a Libra. They like justice, peace, and calmness. Have any of you read Linda Goodman's Sun Signs or wait.... I think it's her Star Signs? I found, laugh as anybody will, she's got them pegged pretty well. Unfortunately now it appears we're not as we're supposed to be. I hate that because if ever an Aquarius lived, c'est moi. hahahaa

ginny · « **Reply #133 on:** September 04, 2011, 09:26:47 AM »

JoanK, I am so glad to hear about your visit with JudeS, and her husband!! I wish I could have been there too, you make it sound so fun! I love meeting fellow SeniorLearners, you do come away with such great memories.

Frybabe · « **Reply #134 on:** September 04, 2011, 01:11:59 PM »

Quote

procrastination

Funny you should mention that word Roshanarose.

Ginny, I read Sun Signs when I was in my early twenties. While on a bus back from DC, once upon a time, the girl that sat next to me (or just behind, I forget which) saw I was reading the book. We got to talking a little bit, and after a while she asked what sign I thought she was. Well, right away I said Pisces. She was absolutely floored. The fact was, just from the half hour or so we were talking, she reminded me of my middle sister who is a Pisces. It was an interesting book.

PatH · « **Reply #135 on:** September 04, 2011, 03:13:05 PM »

There are still some people who haven't voted yet, including JoanK and me. Let's try to get things settled in a few days, to end the suspense.

Libras, you have nothing on me (a Leo) when it comes to indecisiveness.

JoanK · « **Reply #136 on:** September 04, 2011, 03:22:44 PM »

Don't wait for me to make up my mind! I'm not a Libra, but I'm tearing my hair out! I'll go with those who want Artaxerxes, but which one?

bookad · « **Reply #137 on:** September 04, 2011, 04:25:00 PM »

please don't wait for me to vote...none of this really makes much sense to me...
interested to see this taking shape though
Deb

JoanR · « **Reply #138 on:** September 04, 2011, 04:44:43 PM »

We have power!! Lots of people around this area still do not, however. I'm sure the power co. is doing the best they can with so many downed trees, but there are some angry folks beginning to complain about the time it's taking.

I've just looked at the choices and I think Alcibiades and Coriolanus might be good since there is a comparison of them,
but I'll be happy whatever we do!!!

Frybabe · « **Reply #139 on:** September 04, 2011, 04:48:49 PM »

JoanR, glad to see you back up. And I thought 16hrs. was excessive.

ginny · « **Reply #140 on:** September 04, 2011, 05:36:52 PM »

Great, we're rolling now!

Deb, all we're trying to do now is pick somebody for Week III from that list in the heading.

Here's how it's stacking up:

Week I: Pompey

Week II: Artaxerxes (3 votes: not compared with anybody)

Week III: ??

Nominated for Week III :

SOLON

Alcibiades and Sertorius.

Lycurgus of Sparta.

CLEISTHENES

Alcibiades and Coriolanus

Week IV: Demosthenes and Cicero

There is only one Artaxerxes in the Table of Contents so that's the one for week II:

And there are now two votes for Alcibiades for Week III who is compared to Coriolanus in the text.

So it's important to vote for Week III as that's all that's left, moving right along!

Welcome back, Joan R, 16 hours is a long time!

Frybabe · « **Reply #141 on:** September 04, 2011, 07:18:52 PM »

Good heavens. Do I still have to vote for one more week?

I'll stick with Alcibiades and Sertorius or Alcibiades and Coriolanus, whichever. I really want to read about Alcibiades. The Amazon book I downloaded doesn't include the comparisons

, but I can pick them up on the site Kidsal posted in the header.

ginny · « **Reply #142 on:** September 04, 2011, 07:51:58 PM »

hahahaa, no, you voted, but many have not, so those are the ones mentioned, for Weeks II and III. Nobody got more than one vote except Artaxerxes, who got 3, so he got Week II, but there is no person standing out by more than one vote for Week III.

So I thought I'd make it more plain (shows you how effective that was). hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Perhaps a deluge or landslide of votes will come in and push one candidate to the top!

JoanR · « **Reply #143 on:** September 04, 2011, 09:57:03 PM »

I'm feeling particularly dim, I guess, but where are we voting?
Perhaps my mentioning Alcibiades & Coriolanus didn't sound like a vote. I vote for Al & Corio!! Sorry if that sounds rather flip - I don't mean any disrespect - it's just what I've been calling them in my head! That's what a diet of reconstituted powdered milk on my Wheaties has done.

roshanarose · « **Reply #144 on:** September 04, 2011, 11:18:48 PM »

lol @ JoanR - When we were studying them at Uni we would call SOLON, SO LONG, and poor old PLATO was THAT GREEK DISH WASHING LIQUID. ALCIBIADES we called THE BAD BOY and SOCRATES earned SO CRATES (Of milk). ARISTOTLE was irreverently called A BUGGER FOR THE BOTTLE from Monty Python. We didn't much like Aristotle - . ALEXANDER we just called RAGTIME. CAESAR, of course, was BIG JULIE. Often we would let them slip in tutorials, much to the tutor or lecturer's displeasure. The chief Roman Professor went by the name of "ICE EYES", boy,was he tough. He would tell us if the essay isn't in on time, that he would only accept one excuse - that we were dead! And he meant it!!!

Peeping up - The Bad Boy is my vote - ALCIBIADES AND CORIOLANUS. I had a quick look at Coriolanus' parallel with Alcibiades', and Corio's is quite a long story. Yes JoanR - one does get sick of typing those looong names.

Babi · « **Reply #145 on:** September 05, 2011, 09:13:58 AM »

Well, I was the one who brought up Lycurgus and I'm still interested, so I guess I'll
cast my vote for him, GINNY. I'm also happy to know I've got that Michael Grant book to
refer to, and his introduction to Plutarch I think will be helpful.

And I, GINNY, am a typical Libra. While I find the explanation of the whole astrology
thing hard to swallow, I can't deny it happened to fit me well. I believe, tho', that
those on the outer edges of those groups...cusps?...may have some characteristics of the
next over sign. Always good to have a reasonable explanation of the ones that don't fit.

ginny · « **Reply #146 on:** September 05, 2011, 10:30:48 AM »

Sorry not to be clear.

If you mentioned, nominated, suggested or even spelled a name here, it was definitely counted (see the lists above) and that was glommed on as a VOTE. Why not vote here rather than do another survey, I reasoned, we've got Three weeks sewn up?

What I should have done is put the name of the person nominating/ voting/ mentioning after his suggestion or submission, the bottom line remaining being that none of those left had more than one vote or a majority?

So we had, left over for Week III from previous nominations:

Nominated for Week III :

SOLON....nominated by Kidsal

Alcibiades and Sertorius....nominated by Frybabe

Lycurgus of Sparta....nominated by Babi

CLEISTHENES......nominated by RoshannaRose

Alcibiades and Coriolanus....nominated by Joan R

That was the original list, whose suggestion/ nomination/ vote did I miss?

BUT now this morning Roshannarose has sealed the deal with ALCIBIADES AND CORIOLANUS, a second vote by somebody other than the original nominator, and a third for Alcibiades as JoanR points out.

That's two for Alcibiades and Coriolanus and three for Alciabiades. So unless somebody NEW comes in with a new vote/ nomination/ suggestion, it looks like Alciabiades and Coriolanus are Week III!!

I must admit all this talk of Alciabiades really makes me want to read him, and I had decided to do it anyway, on my own. I know NOTHING about him.

So let's do it? Or is there a last minute suggestion/ nomination/ vote for a dark horse from somebody other than those nominating the original which would swing the deal?

Reconstituted milk!!!! UGGERS!!! AGG.

That's very cute, Roshannarose on the names. I suspect we'll be doing that here, too, funny! Your name is always in peril with my poor typing, I may have to resort to RR.

What do you all think about Alciabiades and Coriolanus for Week III?

pedln · « **Reply #147 on:** September 05, 2011, 12:39:27 PM »

I'm a dark horse (i.e. Odyssey dropout), but am not going to vote. Am delighted with the choices made, especially Pompey, Demothxxxx and Cicero. Am not familiar with the others, but bad boy sounds good.

Yesterday I downloaded two more Plutarchs for my Kindle that included the above. They don't have clickable table of contents, so finding them will be the problem. Looking forward to learning more about Pompey, at least.

PatH · « **Reply #148 on:** September 05, 2011, 05:03:25 PM »

Dark horse or not, pedln, it's good to see you here.

I remember learning about Alcibiades in 4th grade, but it's pretty dim now. I do remember he was a bad boy and a smart Alec, and was accused of chipping the ears and noses off the busts of Mercury.

JoanK · « **Reply #149 on:** September 05, 2011, 09:49:32 PM »

PEDLIN the version of Plutarch on the kindle that has an interactive table of contents is labeled "improved 8/11/2010". and costs 95 cents. I found it by searching on my kindle (you seem to get different options that was than by searching in Amazon on the computer.

kidsal · « **Reply #150 on:** September 06, 2011, 04:49:41 AM »

Alciabiades and Coriolanus for Week III? OK with me!

Babi · « **Reply #151 on:** September 06, 2011, 08:50:03 AM »

PatH, I'e got to know where Alcibiades was being taught in the 4th grade!! I don't even
remember what we were taught in 4th grade; I just assume the three 'r''s and some history
and geography.

PatH · « **Reply #152 on:** September 06, 2011, 03:11:25 PM »

A recap of the final lineup:

Week I: Pompey

Week II: Artaxerxes

Week III: Alcibiades and Coriolanus

Week IV: Demosthenes and Cicero

JoanK · « **Reply #153 on:** September 06, 2011, 03:34:57 PM »

Sounds great! I can't wait for Pompey! I hope Pliny the Elder is featured (a great story!)

PatH · « **Reply #154 on:** September 06, 2011, 08:52:42 PM »

Quote from: Babi on September 06, 2011, 08:50:03 AM

PatH, I'e got to know where Alcibiades was being taught in the 4th grade!!

JoanK and I went to school in Washington, DC, but there were a few years when we were home schooled (following an available, approved curriculum) and that was one of them. History that year was Greece and Rome, and we had a book "Famous Men of Greece", followed by "Famous Men of Rome". After an introductory who's who of the gods and goddesses, there were many 3-4 page descriptions of the men, with background of how they fitted into the historical events of the time. Now that I think of it, I bet it was bits of Plutarch re-worked for 9 year olds. Anyway, I found Alcibiades particularly memorable, so I'll be glad to see what I make of him now.

Babi · « **Reply #155 on:** September 07, 2011, 07:34:03 PM »

PAT, on Cicero and Demosthenes, are we doing the bios., the comparison, or all three?
(This is going to be great!)
I think I would have really liked your homeschooling program. Did your Mom handle that?
I don't remember 4th grade at all. 3rd, now, was memorable for a really unpleasant teacher,
called back from retirement due to the wartime teacher shortage. $:-\$

PatH · « **Reply #156 on:** September 08, 2011, 01:47:10 PM »

We've got a new home for the Plutarch pre-discussion and discussion. It's HERE

JoanK · « **Reply #157 on:** November 06, 2011, 05:15:16 PM »

BACK FROM READING PLUTARCH!

Wiser, but not sadder,

Now we are back in our old home. A place to discus any contacts you have with the classics and think about our next adventure.

Frybabe · « **Reply #158 on:** November 08, 2011, 11:37:17 AM »

I'd like to either go straight on to a selection of Plutarch's Greek lives or maybe take a break and read some of Cicero's work since we were just discussing him. No specific thoughts on which pieces yet, except for Cicero's "On Old Age" (I wonder why

).

JoanK · « **Reply #159 on:** November 08, 2011, 03:30:21 PM »

I think Pat and I need a break before a formal discussion. But that doesn't mean we can't talk about any classics we read, or want to read, just like in the mystery and sci-fi discussions.

News:

Author Topic: Nominations for our next Classics books discussion (Read 85672 times)