Orlando Furioso (Oxford World's Classics)

Rating:
Summary: A Great Classic ¿ with an obscure message
Review: Although "Orlando Furioso" is one of the Great Classics, in terms of household recognition it has not been able to hold its own. Thus, it is not nearly as well known as Dante's Divine Comedy, a work to which it is sometimes compared. The work has been aptly described as a combination of Homer and Cervantes's "Don Quixote." To these two I would add Boccaccio's "Decameron."

"Orlando Furioso" deals with the exploits of Charlemagne's Paladins (knights) in their attempts to repulse the "Saracen" (Moorish) invasion of France. Against this rich backdrop all sorts of adventures take place, ranging from knightly combat, to amorous dalliance, to dragons, nymphs and other magic.

Ariosto wrote "Orlando Furioso" around 1516, some 750 years after the events it purports to describe. Thus, it is not surprising that the work contains many anachronisms. His warriors - both Christian and Saracen - fight in full body armor with stirrups and lance. But this mode of fighting did not develop until well after the year 1000. He makes reference to Tartars and Prester John. But "Tartars" is another name for Mongols, who were not known in Europe until the 13th century. The legend of Prester John has a similarly late origin.

Our age is greatly concerned with violence, especially the "gratuitous" kind. The violence in Orlando thus comes as something of a shock. There are frequent references to heads being lopped off and bodies cloven in twain. Also surprising are the great powers attributed to women. But it is unlikely that Ariosto was an early woman's libber. More likely he reflected prevailing views, and these gave women more due than we customarily attribute to past ages. Perhaps the status of women (and men) is governed by cyclical events, such as population pressures.

Is there a dominant message in "Orlando Furioso?" I found it hard to clearly identify one. Possibly the title contains a clue: "Orlando" is the name of the principal protagonist, and "Furioso" means "mad" or "rabid." What drove Orlando mad? Why, a faithless woman, of course! Yet one gets the impression that Ariosto intends most of the blame to go to Orlando himself. In pursuing this woman (an enemy, to boot) he betrays many of the ideals of courtly love. He turns the great powers of sublimated love to selfish interests. For this he is punished.

Rating:
Summary: Orlando Furioso
Review: Before anything else is said, it should be known that this edition is a prose translation, which does not retain most poetic characteristics of the original poem although for a modern English reader this is probably the best edition yet: fairly clear and still interesting in its own way. Orlando Furioso is a 16th century epic poem dealing with Charlamgne's wars against the "Saracens" who had (if we are to take the poem as historical fact) even reached the point of besieging the city of Paris. Of course,the book was not meant by its author to be historically accurate in any way, merely a parody of chivalric court legends as the book description says. Whoever reads this book and fails to sense irony on every page, even crude jokes in some parts clearly does not understand what he is reading in the least. But Orlando Furioso is not a parody of just chivalric court legends; it also pokes fun at the Illiad, popular tales and even common peasant stories. The heads (complete with helmets) sliced in two by a single sword blow are taken from The Illiad, in which Greek champions perform similar feats, although in Orlando Furioso, literally hundreds of men meet their end in this manner to the point of becoming amusing in a way. And I found it strange to notice a very clear similarity between the story told by an innkeeper in the book and the prologue to a translation of a 13th century version of the Arabian Nights (translated by Hussain Haddawy). Ariosto had no possible way to know of the existence of the Nights, but still it is interesting to see how truly close the two incidents are: In Orlando, two men who have given up on the possibility of women being chaste, take one woman and watch her day and night, yet she still deceives them in their own bed. In the Nights, a demon has locked his wife inside an impenetrable castle, yet she still deceives him as he sleeps right next to her in bed. The two events are described similarly, with the same irony (being meant as a joke which the author denies believing in in the least). The book is funny only in the way reading Candide is funny. This is simply another example of what makes the book enjoyable. During the reading of Orlando, somewhere about 3/4 of the way into the book, the reader may wish that it would end right there and that two characters; Bradamant and Ruggiero should get married and finish the story. But the continuation of their separation and further adventures is just another parody of common legends, exaggerated out of proportion. In the end, with all its jokes and its surprisingly individualistic narrative technique, its more serious scenes (the most touching of which is when a woman named Isabel is killed) forms into a large picture, with a great deal of good atmosphere, such that when it ends (although the reader may not have been touched very much during its reading) will want it to go on.

Rating:
Summary: Praise for Waldman's translation
Review: Easy enough to refer to a prose translation as "appropriate for the masses," but the fact remains that when a translator is freed from the necessity of forcing a poem to conform to rhyme and meter in a second language, he has access to a broader range of vocabulary and is therefore more able to remain true to the spirit of the original (as Waldman deftly explains in his introduction). Is it any wonder that this work has received so little attention in America when past translations have been so hidebound and pedagogical? Orlando Furioso is anything but a sing-songy, staid old verse.

In Waldman's translation are to be found both the idealised virtues of chivalry and sometimes startlingly lowbrow humor, all wrapped up in an epic tale of adventure, romance and magic. By providing an unabridged translation (another shortcoming of more traditional editions), and by attempting to capture the true flavor of the work rather than slavishly abiding by the dictates of classical poetic rules, he has presented to English readers for the first time a tale that rivals the epics of Homer in its scope and aspiration. And for sheer entertainment value (coupled with the elitism of Ariosto's sly jabs at the very people for whom the work was composed), this work is all but impossible to beat-- his original audience, after all, was not the literati, but the idle rich.

Rating:
Summary: Praise for Waldman's translation
Review: Easy enough to refer to a prose translation as "appropriate for the masses," but the fact remains that when a translator is freed from the necessity of forcing a poem to conform to rhyme and meter in a second language, he has access to a broader range of vocabulary and is therefore more able to remain true to the spirit of the original (as Waldman deftly explains in his introduction). Is it any wonder that this work has received so little attention in America when past translations have been so hidebound and pedagogical? Orlando Furioso is anything but a sing-songy, staid old verse.

In Waldman's translation are to be found both the idealised virtues of chivalry and sometimes startlingly lowbrow humor, all wrapped up in an epic tale of adventure, romance and magic. By providing an unabridged translation (another shortcoming of more traditional editions), and by attempting to capture the true flavor of the work rather than slavishly abiding by the dictates of classical poetic rules, he has presented to English readers for the first time a tale that rivals the epics of Homer in its scope and aspiration. And for sheer entertainment value (coupled with the elitism of Ariosto's sly jabs at the very people for whom the work was composed), this work is all but impossible to beat-- his original audience, after all, was not the literati, but the idle rich.

Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: Orlando Furioso is a classic story that has often been overlooked by the average reader. We follow Charlemagne's paladins as they traverse the world, pagan and Christian, looking for adventure, fame, and love. They end up in many fascinating places such as enchanted castles, Hades, and on the moon with St. John the Apostle. Their adventures bring them into contact with fascinating people, incredible beasts, and magic weapons. They engage in sword fights and duels, convert the Muslims, and fall in love. The story centers on Orlando and other pagan and Christian knights as they try to win the love of Angelica, a Saracen Princess. Meanwhile, a war between the Christians and Muslims is going on. These events are a continuation of the story told in Orlando Innamorato by Boiardo, which came before this poem. Ariosto, however, has given us a sequel that in many ways surpasses its predecessor. Orlando Furioso is a story of epic proportions that is subtly funny, never boring, and always beautiful. To the basic themes of chivalry and love, Ariosto has added elements of allegory, irony, and even prophecy to make an enchanting masterpiece. The stories contained are similar to the Arthurian legends, only with more humor and excitement. I agree with C.S. Lewis when he wrote: "Our oblivion of these poets (i.e. Boiardo and Ariosto) is much to be regretted...because it robs us of a whole species of pleasures and narrows our very conception of literature."

For some reason amazon.com links this review to both the Reynolds and the Waldman translations, but they are different books. Although the previous part of my review is valid for any translation, this part is only relevant for the Waldman version. I have not read the one by Reynolds. This translation is in prose, meaning it loses some of the original spirit of Ariosto. However, by doing this Waldman makes the stories much easier to read and more accessible for the average person, who usually does not read poetry. I really enjoy the prose rendering; it has been done beautifully. If you love poetry and/or want a translation closer to the original Italian, then perhaps you should buy another version. One benefit though, is that this edition is complete in one volume and unabridged. Also, there is an introduction and an index of characters and their adventures. Unfortunately, there are no annotations. Overall, this is an excellent book that I think everyone should read at least once. It is a classic!