here comes Plutarch

I requested vol 1 of Plutarch's Moralia from the library, but the Minuteman Library System let me down: the book wound up with a status of MISSING. So requested it again, from a different branch.

I have access to the digital version via the Harvard library system, but part of this experience (for me) is the physical feel of these little books. :^)

Plutarch v 1 now in hand ... ready for my bus ride home!

My shallow "so-far" on Plutarch: enjoyable, but does not shake the earth.

So there I was, all smug and reasonably happy, reading Plutarch and thinking, "well, this, now, this is okay but --"

And then in "On Listening to Lectures" The P hits me with this:

""Let us therefore put from us all such foolishness and pretension, and, as we go onward to the task of learning, let us take pains thoroughly to comprehend all profitable discourses; let us submit with patience to the laughter of those reputed to be clever, as did Cleanthes and Xenocrates, who, although they seemed to be slower than their schoolmates, yet did not try to escape learning or give it up in despair, but were the first to make jokes at themselves by comparing themselves to narrow-necked bottles and bronze tablets, as much as to say that they found great difficulty in taking in what was said, yet they kept it safely and securely. For not only is one bound, as Phocylides says,

Many a time to be cheated of hope when he seeks to be noble,

but he is bound also many a time to be laughed at and to be in disrepute, and to put up with joking and buffoonery as he struggles with might and main against his ignorance and overthrows it."

Which may as well be addressing me, directly. Wow, Bob, Wow.

Plutarch take a bit a slogging through sometimes to get to the good nuggets, but they're in there...

Next up is Moralia, v. 2. It may take me a while. I've whittled pleasure reading down to ONE BOOK while I am in the heat of two count 'em two classes.

One book?! That's crazy.

What classes are you taking (if you don't mind my asking)?

And good for you for sticking with the Moralia - not exactly the most riveting read, if I remember correctly...

I am taking a course in Intro to Web Development via Harvard Extension School and a Solar System course via Swinburne Astronomy Online (when I finish the latter I'll have 1/2 a Master's done with / for them.

The one book thing IS crazy ... but it's helping. :/

Is that the online course? Their course catalogue looks interesting.

>8 tungsten_peerts: Oh, cool classes! And yay for the Masters-in-progress!

>9 ironjaw:, Swinburne? yes, it's all online. Been around for quite a few years, too. It works pretty well most of the time ...

I'm on to Moralia, v. 2.

This time around I am really enjoying the Moralia, and am so glad I started this reading project. I know it's going to take a long, long time, but that's partly the point. And if I can brush aside the "dead white guy" limitation, these writers still have SO MUCH to say to us. Classics are classics for a reason.

>13 tungsten_peerts: Sing it, brother! I'm glad you're enjoying Plutarch!

I _may_ need to try and figure out if I need to restart the Moralia, as this is a series that has been 're-done' since the inception of the Loeb series ... that is, there is an older translation (x volumes) and a more recent translation (y volumes). I'm not confident I was careful to (or even knew enough to) do the more recent version.