DOC A Practical Guide to Alterations and Improvements by J. Buckland; Mrs B M Cooper; R. Cooper in Arts-Photography

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fed up with endless war?...By John P. Jones IIIWell; then; this play should resonatehellip; including the effective method of bringing it to an end. During yet another long war ndash; the American involvement in Vietnam ndash; I became aware of this play; but regrettably never saw a production of it; nor read it. Proving that numerous ldquo;classicsrdquo; are never ldquo;out-of-date;rdquo; Spike Leersquo;s latest movie CHI-RAQ is based on this play. So I figured a read was long overdue.There are a number of versions available on ; and I would have preferred to have read it on my Kindle. However; after reading a number of reviews; I was lead to purchase the paperback version with was translated by Sarah Ruden. In addition to the play itself; there is a most informative preface that provides the context and setting for the play; plus four 10-page each commentaries; concerning: Athenian Democracy. Ancient Greek Warfare; Athenian Women; and Greek Comedy.Aristophanes was a Greek playwright; most famous for his comedies; who lived from about 450 to 385 BC. For the greater part of his adult life the Peloponnesian Wars (431-404 BC) were being fought. These wars were mainly between Athens and Sparta; a Greek civil-war of sorts; after the unifying effect of the wars against Persia was removed by a final peace treaty in 448 BC. More than 25 years of war; particularly in onersquo;s adult life; can seem ldquo;endless.rdquo;Lysistrata literally means ldquo;Dissolver of Armies.rdquo; She is the principle character in Aristophanes play; who decides the most effective way of bringing peace is to deny men what they most desire. And goes to great lengths to unite the other women in denying their men their accustomed ldquo;conjugal pleasuresrdquo; until they lay down their arms and make peace. Rudenrsquo;s translation is wildly bawdy; even raunchy at times; with numerous double entendres. It is filled with the slang of today. Naturally there is a play on the homophones peace/piece. Some other reviewers objected to the bawdy language; and/or the ldquo;hip stylerdquo; but it certainly worked for me. Translations from one language to another can be quite difficult; since often the cultural nuances and meanings of one setting and culture are not properly conveyed in the other. Literal translations across different languages and two and a half millennium are virtually impossible. Thus; I felt Rudenrsquo;s ldquo;sense of the passagerdquo; style was much more appropriate; and allowed me to laugh; and even snicker; as the ancient Greeks did.Seemingly new-found truths were so well understood 2500 years ago. Lysistratarsquo;s advice to the ldquo;sisterhoodrdquo; if their husbands force themselves upon us: lay still. The reason? ldquo;No husbandrsquo;s going to like to screwhellip; Unless he knows his woman likes it too.rdquo; I found numerous insights in Rudenrsquo;s commentaries. For example; she effectively compared tragedies with the comedies; and said of the latter: ldquo;hellip;that comedy could be nasty; hilarious; and sublime at the same time.rdquo; She summarized the Greek playwrightrsquo;s outlook: ldquo;Gandhi Aristophanes was not. But he made an important case for an end to hostilities. For a constant proponent of drinking parties; he had a sober understanding of what war was doing to his homeland.rdquo;Do we? 5-stars; at least for raising the question; yet again.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. For a good time - Read this translationBy Scott HoffmanLet me start by saying that I am not a classics scholar. I have no knowledge of Greek; and the last time I studied Latin was as a high school sophomore thirty five years ago. I am; however; a student of rabbinic literature; and anxious to understand the Greco-Roman milieu from which Rabbinic Judaism emerged. I also am anxious to know how these plays were performed orally; in front of a live audience. To that end; I have always preferred colloquial translations to more formal ones. And this translation certainly fits the bill; providing lots of "colorful" language. While I suspect that purists will find this approach off-putting; I personally find it exhilarating. Remember that we are talking about a comedy show; performed in front of a largely illiterate audience; and perhaps accompanied by imbibing copious amounts of wine. Bawdy? Yes. Off color in places? Yes. But a rollicking good time - yes! No wonder that in Providence; not far from my sons school (URI); they did a series of performances of Lysistrata - which audiences loved. I hope they used this text; or one which is very similar.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Great CollectibleBy Em73A fine edition of Lysistrata with magnificent illustrations by Picasso. A delightful collectible.