<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Ancient Latin Tabloid?!
Review: Phlegon of Tralles' Book of Marvels is really a curious book. Suetonius has been called by some as a Tabloid-like historian, but he pales in comparison to Phlegon of Tralles.The book itself is rather short and somewhat segmented, but has several ghost stories, legends about sex-changers and hermaphrodites, stories of giant bones being found, odd birth stories, and stories of mythical beasts. It also mentions the Emperor's menagerie, where mythical beasts and some of the giant bones were kept. There is also a list of people that lived to be 100 years old or older, and also a brief history of the Olympics, as well as a retelling of the 177th Olympics games. Though the book is short, the commentary provided is truly thorough. William Hansen, the translator and commentator, provides important information to understanding the anecdotes given--not just a line by line breakdown of the action therein, but an overview of the stories and its context in terms of folktales and Roman superstition. The first anecdote alone has 15 pages of thoughtful, insightful commentary associated with it, including mention of other, similar myths in other cultures. The book also includes Goethe's vampire ballad, The Bride of Corinth, which was inspired by a story in this fine book. This is an excellent, well researched and easily read book. Some translations of Greek and Roman literature aren't really very accessible, and can be very daunting to an average reader...and Phlegon of Tralles' Book of Marvels is not.
<< 1 >>
| 
