About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press

ISBN-100226326810

ISBN-139780226326818

eBay Product ID (ePID)30218462

Product Key Features

Book TitleAesop's Human Zoo : Roman Stories about Our Bodies

Number of Pages128 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicAncient / Rome, Subjects & Themes / Nature, Folklore & Mythology, Subjects & Themes / Places, Ancient & Classical

Publication Year2004

IllustratorBewick, Thomas, Yes

GenreLiterary Criticism, Poetry, Social Science, History

AuthorPhaedrus

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.1 in

Item Weight10 oz

Item Length0.8 in

Item Width0.6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2003-070288

Reviews"Henderson has a mission to show us ancient witticisms we may have missed--and why we may find in them ''all manner of odd byways of ancient thinking.'' The jokes may often be neither savoury nor subtle to readers now. But the mocking of pretension and the pricking of vanity are means to understanding how people thought and felt about themselves, their partners and their masters: Rome beyond the Roman Odes, far, far beyond."--Peter Stothard, Times Literary Supplement, A charming collection of surprising, reflective short poems about human and animal failures. Aesop's Human Zoo will prove a playful read for anyone interested in Aesopian fables, or in a form of poetry that reflects the anxieties and power dynamics of the early Roman imperial period. It is, also, simply fun to read., "Henderson has a mission to show us ancient witticisms we may have missed--and why we may find in them 'all manner of odd byways of ancient thinking.' The jokes may often be neither savoury nor subtle to readers now. But the mocking of pretension and the pricking of vanity are means to understanding how people thought and felt about themselves, their partners and their masters: Rome beyond the Roman Odes, far, far beyond."--Peter Stothard, Times Literary Supplement, Henderson has a mission to show us ancient witticisms we may have missed--and why we may find in them 'all manner of odd byways of ancient thinking.' The jokes may often be neither savoury nor subtle to readers now. But the mocking of pretension and the pricking of vanity are means to understanding how people thought and felt about themselves, their partners and their masters: Rome beyond the Roman Odes, far, far beyond., Henderson has applied his inimitable acuity, wit, and word power to the fables of the liberated Roman slave Phaedrus.In his sharp translations, he shows how Phaedrus turns tongue-wagging into finger-wagging. These fables explain male baldness, and nanny goats' beards, why dinner parties are a torment, and why dogs sniff other dogs' bottoms.Surely the perfect gift for anyone you know who needs to be told a few home truths about themselves!, Henderson has applied his inimitable acuity, wit, and word power to the fables of the liberated Roman slave Phaedrus. In his sharp translations, he shows how Phaedrus turns tongue-wagging into finger-wagging. These fables explain male baldness, and nanny goats' beards, why dinner parties are a torment, and why dogs sniff other dogs' bottoms. Surely the perfect gift for anyone you know who needs to be told a few home truths about themselves!, Henderson has applied his inimitable acuity, wit, and word power to the fables of the liberated Roman slave Phaedrus. In his sharp translations, he shows how Phaedrus turns tongue-wagging into finger-wagging. These fables explain male baldness, and nanny goats' beards, why dinner parties are a torment, and why dogs sniff other dogs' bottoms. Surely the perfect gift for anyone you know who needs to be told a few home truths about themselves!

Table Of ContentPreface Introduction Phaedrus' Fables Aesop's Fables, and Every body's A Human Zoo The Stories: Creation and Birth Sex and Gender Size and Shape Sight and Sound Hair and Head Genitals and Behinds Part and Whole Old Age and Death Further Reading Indexes Tables for the Fables The Cast of Characters Tempting Topics

SynopsisMost of us grew up with Aesop's Fables--tales of talking animals, with morals attached. In fact, the familiar versions of the stories attributed to this enigmatic and astute storyteller are based on adaptations of Aesop by the liberated Roman slave Phaedrus. In turn, Phaedrus's renderings have been rewritten so extensively over the centuries that they do not do justice to the originals. In Aesop's Human Zoo , legendary Cambridge classicist John Henderson puts together a surprising set of up-front translations--fifty sharp, raw, and sometimes bawdy, fables by Phaedrus into the tersest colloquial English verse. Providing unusual insights into the heart of Roman culture, these clever poems open up odd avenues of ancient lore and life as they explore social types and physical aspects of the body, regularly mocking the limitations of human nature and offering vulgar or promiscuous interpretations of the stuff of social life. Featuring folksy proverbs and satirical anecdotes, filled with saucy naughtiness and awful puns, Aesop's Human Zoo will amuse you with its eccentricities and hit home with its shrewdly candid and red raw messages. The entertainment offered in this volume of impeccably accurate translations is truly a novelty--a good-hearted and knowing laugh courtesy of classical poetry. Beginning to advanced classicists and Latin scholars will appreciate the original Latin text provided in this bilingual edition. The splash of classic Thomas Bewick wood engravings to accompany the fables renders the collection complete., Most of us grew up with the tales of woodland creatures and their underlying morals found in Aesop's Fables. However, the familiar versions of the stories attributed to this enigmatic and astute storyteller are actually based on the Roman slave Phaedrus's adaptations of Aesop's earlier works. But even Phaedrus's renderings have been rewritten so extensively over the centuries that they no longer resemble the originals. In Aesop's Human Zoo, legendary Cambridge classicist John Henderson puts together a surprising set of up-front poems that translate fifty sharp fables by Phaedrus into terse, colloquial English. Providing unusual insights into the heart of Roman civilization, these clever poems open up odd avenues of ancient lore and life as they explore social types and physical aspects of the body, often mocking the limitations of human nature and offering vulgar or promiscuous interpretations of common actions. original Latin text provided in this bilingual edition. And the inclusion of a number of witty nineteenth-century wood engravings by Thomas Bewick, the father of modern English book illustration, renders the collection complete. Including strange proverbs and satirical anecdotes, filled with saucy naughtiness and awful puns, Aesop's Human Zoo will amuse you with its eccentricity and impress you with its undeniably accurate translations and shrewdly (often brutally) candid messages. The entertainment offered in this volume is truly a novelty - a good and knowing laugh through classical literature.

LC Classification NumberPA6564.E5H455 2004