Back in January, I decided that 2019 would be the year in which I finally reach that elusive target of reading fifty books. Almost three months on, and I’m roughly on track, although I haven’t yet read anything that has absolutely blown me away. As expected, this term at uni has been hectic, which is why I’m coming at you with a joint wrap-up of January and February’s reads… almost at the end of March. I feel like I throw this phrase around a lot over here, but better late than never!
Book #1: Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides
This was the first of my set texts for my Greek and Latin Literature module, and it was the perfect place to start. The story follows Agamemnon in his moral struggle of choosing between sacrificing his daughter, Iphigenia, in order to please Artemis and aid his troops, or allowing Iphigenia to live and thereby sacrifice his men’s faith in him. This play was short and incredibly accessible to read, with all of the drama and bloodlust that you’d expect from an Ancient Greek text.
I found myself fascinated by the focus that we took on this text in the seminar, namely the questions that we have over what Euripides himself actually wrote. It’s widely believed that he did not write the beginning or the ending, but rather that it was filled in by successive performers of the play after his death. It’s not even certain whether he actually finished it at any point, or whether the ending was left uncertain at his death. It’s questions like these that make studying the classics such a troublesome but enjoyable time!
My rating: 4/5 stars Continue reading “Reflection: January & February 2019 | Uni Reading Takes Over”
