Mork the Fiddle's 2019 Log

[Carmody]

Actually I have been thinking about you and Herodotus of late and wondering why you chose him over History of the Peloponnesian War By Thucydides, which I really love. However, I think you just answered the question. And thank you.

[MorkTheFiddle]

Actually I have been thinking about you and Herodotus of late and wondering why you chose him over History of the Peloponnesian War By Thucydides, which I really love. However, I think you just answered the question. And thank you.

My English teacher in high school tasked us with reading as many books in the school library as we could and to log what we read. No way for me to remember just what exactly I wrote in my log, but two authors stood out for me above all the others: Montaigne and Thucydides. Both of them strike me as very clear headed about things and very good about expressing their ideas. I read just about every day a little bit of Montaigne, mostly in a modern French translation because the Kindle edition has that version. Most of Thucydides Greek rings as clear as a bell--or as clearly as Ancient Greek can ring--but much of it is quite turgid indeed. Mostly the speeches he constructed are tough indeed, and my own explanation for their difficulties is that they were mostly first drafts that he never had a chance to edit and polish. It's generally accepted T died before he finished his work. It's all a vexed issue and I am not qualified to discuss it. Having said all that, I retain my high school regard for T because some of his prose is as good as it gets.

And thanks for your remarks, by the way.

[Carmody]

At the risk of being too inquisitive, could you tell me what book out there has a good

Mork the Fiddle
modern French translation

of his work? And may I assume you are reading his Essais?

[MorkTheFiddle]

At the risk of being too inquisitive, could you tell me what book out there has a good

Mork the Fiddle
modern French translation

of his work? And may I assume you are reading his Essais?

Not a problem.
The translator of the edition (2011) in three volumes that I am reading is Guy de Pernon (Kindle only). This is volume 1:

MONTAIGNE ESSAIS I (trad. GdP) (ESSAIS de MONTAIGNE t. 1)

Kindle carries the other two volumes, too.

I note in passing that the Garnier paperback edition of the Early Modern French appears in two volumes, not three.

[Carmody]

So I don't have a Kindle and I can't find the Garnier edition, so looks like I am out of luck..

What ever....

[DaveAgain]

So I don't have a Kindle and I can't find the Garnier edition, so looks like I am out of luck..

What ever....

Wikipedia lists several different editions.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essais#%C ... des_Essais

[Carmody]

Many thanks for the help; I will see what I can do but the Used editions seem expensive.

Thanks.

[MorkTheFiddle]

So I don't have a Kindle and I can't find the Garnier edition, so looks like I am out of luck..

What ever....

Wikipedia lists several different editions.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essais#%C ... des_Essais

At least two of the editions that Wikipedia cites are modern French translations;

Essais, traduction en français moderne par A. Lanly (à partir de l’exemplaire de Bordeaux), coll. Quarto, Gallimard, 2009. Cette traduction conserve la structure de la phrase de Montaigne.
Essais, édition en français moderne par Claude Pinganaud, coll. Poche-Retour aux grands textes, Arléa, 2002.

For that matter, the differences between Montaigne's French and modern French are minimal, really. Here is the first page of the first essay on a site devoted to Montaigne
Montaigne's Essais

And here is the first paragraph from that page

Chapitre 01

--7--

[0001] Par Divers Moyens On Arrive à Pareille Fin

La plus commune façon d'amollir les coeurs de ceux qu'on a offensez, lors qu'ayant la vengeance en main, ils nous tiennent à leur mercy, c'est de les esmouvoir par submission à commiseration et à pitié. Toutesfois la braverie, et la constance, moyens tous contraires, ont quelquefois servi à ce mesme effect. Edouard, prince de Galles, celuy qui regenta si long temps nostre Guienne, personnage, duquel les conditions et la fortune ont beaucoup de notables parties de grandeur, ayant esté bien fort offencé par les Limosins, et prenant leur ville par force, ne peut estre arresté par les cris du peuple, et des femmes, et enfans abandonnez à la boucherie, luy criants mercy, et se jettans à ses pieds, jusqu'à ce que passant tousjours outre dans la ville, il apperceut trois gentils-hommes François, qui d'une hardiesse incroyable soustenoyent seuls l'effort de son armée victorieuse. La consideration et le respect d'une si notable vertu reboucha premierement la pointe de sa cholere: et commença par ces trois, à faire misericorde à tous les autres habitans de la ville. Scanderberch, prince de l'Epire, suyvant un soldat des siens pour le tuer, et ce soldat ayant essayé, par [0001v] toute espece d'humilité et de supplication, de l'appaiser, se resolut à toute extrémité de l'attendre l'espée au poing. Cette sienne resolution arresta sus bout la furie de son maistre, --8-- qui, pour luy avoir veu prendre un si honorable party, le receut en grace. Cet exemple pourra souffrir autre interpretation de ceux qui n'auront leu la prodigieuse force et vaillance de ce prince là.

[MorkTheFiddle]

Progress Report

Resumed reading Alexander by Plutarch.

Reading and listening to an audiobook of La bête humaine by Emile Zola.

Still reading, little by little, The Tale of Genji and Book 1 of a Modern French translation of Montaigne's Essays.

Rediscovered Extras for Spanish on Youtube and watched the first four (24 minute) episodes. The acting is usually over the top, but the episodes are written with intelligence and humor.

Discovered France Bienvenue (thanks to the 300-word thread begun on HTLAL (I think) by S_Allard). Reminded me a bit of French in Action (inevitably I suppose), to which it compares, so far, favorably. I watched the first 9 episodes, which are about 12 minutes long.

Downloaded FSI French and DLI Spanish courses for use only as listening practice. I may use Audacity to remove all the pauses from the audio. We'll see.

[cjareck]

Downloaded FSI French and DLI Spanish courses for use only as listening practice. I may use Audacity to remove all the pauses from the audio. We'll see.

I used pauses to quickly do the exercises. They may be useful in audio-only mode. Nevertheless, try to reduce noise using Audacity. It is extremely helpful!