ARGONAUTIKA

"That wasn't in the book!"

Finished Peter Green's phenomenal translation of the Argonautika by Appolonius Rhodius. The poem itself is fantastic, wedding a sort of tongue-and-cheek take on epic poetry with genuine emotional depth (see e.g. Medea). The splendid  translation, as well as the copious notes/commentary courtesy of Green, serve as fittingly snarky companions to the snarkiest epic poet of them all (although a number of typos in the commentary suggest that Green needs a new editor). I've shirked from bringing the poem up over the last few days I've been reading it just b/c of the sheer density of intertextual (bleh word) material in and around it (e.g. Appolonius' influences and sources, and his influences on all his successors). Too many directions to take. Sadly I'm not conversant in any of the insane amounts of scholarship on the Argonautika. I'll try and rectify that soon.