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Am I the only one who didn't like Black Ships Before Troy?


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I'd been waiting for a couple of years to read Black Ships Before Troy to my dd when we studied ancient history again. I'd heard so much about it and on the surface it looked great. But we didn't like it! We had to put it down several times because all the war, death and dying became so tiresome. This is a pretty graphic book for kids!

 

Am I the only one who didn't like it?

 

Is there any point in reading translations in the future? Do we really want to read the great books in their original language? Are there books we should avoid if we don't care for gore? :001_huh:

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We found the opposite here. My (super sensitive) then-4yo enjoyed it, and asked a ton of insightful questions. The illustrations didn't bother her, but the books I've looked at for The Odyssey have been too graphic and disturbing for her. I was surprised she enjoyed it so much, especially at that age. I think one of the things that made The Iliad story easier for her to deal with than The Odyssey was that it was all human war - no giants, monsters, etc to fill her head with scary pictures. OTOH, the outlandish adventures and monsters is what a lot of kids love about The Odyssey, despite its violence and gore (the cyclops part comes to mind first).

 

I don't see a real need to read the great books in their original languages, though I think it would be a cool thing to try if one had the ability (personally, my Greek and Latin are sorely lacking). I do think it is important to expose our dc to the stories and ideas, but in a way that they are able to process at their various ages.

 

As for gore, it seems pretty common in a lot of "classic" literature (not to mention modern fiction) so, at least in my house, we have to be pretty careful about the presentation of the classic stories. We recently read a version of Gilgamesh (by Geraldine McCaughrean) that my 5yo has gone back to on her own several times. I was a little surprised she liked it that much, and happy that it didn't bother her, because there is some definite violence in that story too.

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I'm not a fan of "Black Ships" or any of its sequels. I don't like the illustrations, and they're dreary to read. TOG recommends a Step into Reading (Step 5) book called "The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War," and that was acceptable for my fifth grader this past year. We read a DK book about the Odyssey. And we simply read the first several chapters of "The Story of the Romans" by Guerber to get the basic tale about Aeneas.

 

I really, really enjoyed listening to the Teaching Company lectures about the three classics that Professor Elizabeth Vandiver did. They were just excellent! I would just look for excuses to drive around in my car so that I could listen to them again and again. She made the stories exciting and not dreary at all.

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We found the opposite here. My (super sensitive) then-4yo enjoyed it, and asked a ton of insightful questions. The illustrations didn't bother her, but the books I've looked at for The Odyssey have been too graphic and disturbing for her. I was surprised she enjoyed it so much, especially at that age. I think one of the things that made The Iliad story easier for her to deal with than The Odyssey was that it was all human war - no giants, monsters, etc to fill her head with scary pictures. OTOH, the outlandish adventures and monsters is what a lot of kids love about The Odyssey, despite its violence and gore (the cyclops part comes to mind first).

 

My dd is okay with monsters and giants--especially when the hero prevails. She loves D'Aulaires Greek Myths which has its share of gore. Its the reality of war and human suffering that really disturbs her. I just found all the gore very tiresome.

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I really, really enjoyed listening to the Teaching Company lectures about the three classics that Professor Elizabeth Vandiver did. They were just excellent! I would just look for excuses to drive around in my car so that I could listen to them again and again. She made the stories exciting and not dreary at all.

 

 

Well, I'm glad that I'm not the only one. :cheers2:

 

I'll have to check out these lectures for the next time around.

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I'd been waiting for a couple of years to read Black Ships Before Troy to my dd when we studied ancient history again. I'd heard so much about it and on the surface it looked great. But we didn't like it! We had to put it down several times because all the war, death and dying became so tiresome...Is there any point in reading translations in the future?

 

Yes, I think there's a point if you're studying ancient history and want to be familiar with the most famous stories from that period. But war, death, and dying are integral to many of those stories; a faithful retelling can't shy away from that.

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Yes, I think there's a point if you're studying ancient history and want to be familiar with the most famous stories from that period. But war, death, and dying are integral to many of those stories; a faithful retelling can't shy away from that.

 

I agree with Colleen. There is no getting around the fact that the early Greeks were a warrior people. If you are going to study the Greeks then their stories, or their oral history as they believed it to be, is very important. Your quote here, "I just found all the gore very tiresome." makes me laugh--the Greeks were not known for their brotherly love! :)

 

I edited to add that while I really do like Black Ships I did not have my children read it until they were older. I did not go deeply into the story of Troy until later too. There didn't seem to be a big reason to give the details until they could understand them. The Trojan horse was cool enough when they were young! :)

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