Wednesday, September 24, 2014

 

Caesar's Bellum Gallicum

Basil L. Gildersleeve, "An Oxford Scholar," American Journal of Philology 38 (1917) 392-410 (at 402):
'Humdrum' reminds me of the plaint of a German usher. I cannot recall the exact words, but the following echo may serve as an illustration:
Humdrum, humdrum, humdrum, humdrum,
My heart is woe, my brain is numb,
My mental vision's choked with gum.
I never could be made to stom-
ach Caesar's Bellum Gallicum.
But that was long before the new methods that have made Caesar as alive as he was to Cleopatra.
In his Handbook of Latin Literature, H.J. Rose called Caesar "one of the most unsuitable authors for a beginner that could be imagined."

# posted by Michael Gilleland @ 7:26 AM


<< Home
Newer›  ‹Older

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?