If I'm not mistaken, I think that most (all?) the Aristotle that's survived is basically lecture notes as compared to the fully-formed works of Plato we still have. He was probably a better stylist than the extant texts suggest.
I've heard that too, and that his exoteric works were quite well-written--it just seems odd that his school, the Peripatetic, wouldn't preserve the master's own words! But I haven't done enough research into it to know what exactly went down
It's my impression from years of Latin and collecting Penguin Classics that the very very greatest works from antiquity mostly managed to survive. We don't know what we don't know but many of the most renowned works seem to have been copied enough to be moldering in some chest somewhere by the time they became fashionable again in the middle ages. Aristotle might be the biggest exception to that.
I think you're more or less right. Realized this when I got into the Greek playwrights. For most of the playwrights we have their best works, from a collected edition that got created. But for euripides we also rather randomly have ten works from an alphabetical collection of their work. Those ten are definitely his weaker plays. Don't think anyone would miss iphigenia at aulis if it was lost. It's rather remarkable how all of his best works are contained in the one set and none of the others are at all worthwhile on a literary level, though they're invaluable for historians i am sure
“Anyway, not everyone has the time to read a long book just because they’re curious. Most people can’t, I think.”
It’s such a luxury, isn’t it? I’m one of the lucky ones, half-idle. I work four days a week, and most of the rest of the time I’m at home, reading books (or reading Substack, or--on a very bad day indeed--getting caught up in Twitter). I’m currently on the 4th of 6 Palliser novels by Anthony Trollope. I’m also reading a book on the history of the Spanish language, and The Dyer’s Hand by Auden. In the queue is a book on cooking during wartime, and a book about the physics of music.
I’m becoming kind of a hermit, resentful of the demands of friendship.
I know nothing about games and am bewildered by the fact there’s a game called “The Binding of Isaac.” Of course it calls to mind the Biblical scene, but I am curious to know more about the premise.
It's a game about a mom who is really mean to her kid, so he climbs into a chest and suffocates and as he loses consciousness he has these visions where he is running from her and trying to escape, and that's the game! And then in the end he dies. It's really dark and mindless, but quite well-designed.
Love the Palliser novels! So interesting to see how Plantagenet develops over the course of the series. I was also so interested in Phineas Finn, and how his financial worries brought about his downfall. Have you read the Barset novels? They're equally good
Haven’t read the Barsetshire chronicles yet; I’m just starting with Trollope.
I “inherited” a book collection-- made an offer at a garage sale for 20 boxes of (good!) books belonging to a lady who had passed away and whose relatives from out of town were happy to see the books go to a good home. She had about a dozen books by Trollope, so I decided to see what I thought of him.
I also bought 3 bookcases; and then spent my next 4 weekends culling unwanted books, cleaning, moving furniture to make space, and shelving. I had the fear of God in me for the same reason, LOL.
If I'm not mistaken, I think that most (all?) the Aristotle that's survived is basically lecture notes as compared to the fully-formed works of Plato we still have. He was probably a better stylist than the extant texts suggest.
I've heard that too, and that his exoteric works were quite well-written--it just seems odd that his school, the Peripatetic, wouldn't preserve the master's own words! But I haven't done enough research into it to know what exactly went down
It's my impression from years of Latin and collecting Penguin Classics that the very very greatest works from antiquity mostly managed to survive. We don't know what we don't know but many of the most renowned works seem to have been copied enough to be moldering in some chest somewhere by the time they became fashionable again in the middle ages. Aristotle might be the biggest exception to that.
I think you're more or less right. Realized this when I got into the Greek playwrights. For most of the playwrights we have their best works, from a collected edition that got created. But for euripides we also rather randomly have ten works from an alphabetical collection of their work. Those ten are definitely his weaker plays. Don't think anyone would miss iphigenia at aulis if it was lost. It's rather remarkable how all of his best works are contained in the one set and none of the others are at all worthwhile on a literary level, though they're invaluable for historians i am sure
“Anyway, not everyone has the time to read a long book just because they’re curious. Most people can’t, I think.”
It’s such a luxury, isn’t it? I’m one of the lucky ones, half-idle. I work four days a week, and most of the rest of the time I’m at home, reading books (or reading Substack, or--on a very bad day indeed--getting caught up in Twitter). I’m currently on the 4th of 6 Palliser novels by Anthony Trollope. I’m also reading a book on the history of the Spanish language, and The Dyer’s Hand by Auden. In the queue is a book on cooking during wartime, and a book about the physics of music.
I’m becoming kind of a hermit, resentful of the demands of friendship.
I know nothing about games and am bewildered by the fact there’s a game called “The Binding of Isaac.” Of course it calls to mind the Biblical scene, but I am curious to know more about the premise.
It's a game about a mom who is really mean to her kid, so he climbs into a chest and suffocates and as he loses consciousness he has these visions where he is running from her and trying to escape, and that's the game! And then in the end he dies. It's really dark and mindless, but quite well-designed.
Love the Palliser novels! So interesting to see how Plantagenet develops over the course of the series. I was also so interested in Phineas Finn, and how his financial worries brought about his downfall. Have you read the Barset novels? They're equally good
Haven’t read the Barsetshire chronicles yet; I’m just starting with Trollope.
I “inherited” a book collection-- made an offer at a garage sale for 20 boxes of (good!) books belonging to a lady who had passed away and whose relatives from out of town were happy to see the books go to a good home. She had about a dozen books by Trollope, so I decided to see what I thought of him.
Wow, i wish I had the space to just bring home 20 boxes of books. My wife would divorce me
I also bought 3 bookcases; and then spent my next 4 weekends culling unwanted books, cleaning, moving furniture to make space, and shelving. I had the fear of God in me for the same reason, LOL.