Well, we've come a long way since Goethe said that a man who could not draw on three thousand years was living from hand to mouth. If our polls are to be believed, a significant portion of our high school students believe Lincoln led his nation to victory in World War II. With most colleges and universities selling their consumers Yugos for the price of Bentleys, and substituting training for lower middle management for real education, the closest many students get to the Classics is ordering a Caesar salad in the school cafeteria. For those sadly defrauded youth, help is at last at hand. Natalie Haynes has taken a deep study of Greek, Latin and Ancient History and produced a souffle-light confection with real nutritional value. She combines the felicity of allusion of a good stand-up comic (which she happens to be) with solid connections to the abiding issues which a classical education traditionally addresses. There is good scholarship here, but there is also laugh-out-loud inventiveness and a sharp appreciation of modern movie and TV culture. Most importantly, while providing a delightful entertainment, she whets the appetite for more serious readings, and establishes the framework for their pursuit. I would unreservedly recommend this book to both those fortunate few with a solid background in the Classics, who will much enjoy the wit, and to those only beginning an acquaintance with the treasures of our past, who will cherish the introduction.
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2011
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2013
- Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2021
Top reviews from other countries
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Fabrizio DanesiReviewed in Italy on September 24, 2013
Ottimo per chi non ha studiato (bene) in Italia
- N. P. PeritoreReviewed in Brazil on January 13, 2019
Charming and clever defense of the classics, a fun read. I wish classicists would include Byzantium and its rich literature as part of their remit. After all, Rome lasted until 1453 as a greek speaking empire that saved Europe from countles TurcoMongal invasions, and Ugaric and Slavic invasions too. Classics departments should teach modeen Greek, and Italian also. They would be a lot more relevant and afterall thats where they will go to study our ancesters.
- Gary GrayReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2024
Natalie Haynes does it again
- DDDReviewed in Canada on February 17, 2018
The first few chapters I found of great interest But after that she just seemed to get ...
