Book Meme, Day 3
Jun. 5th, 2018 05:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenak3. One with a blue cover.
The German book club edition of Stephen King's The Dead Zone is blue, which is the one I possess, but the very first book that came to mind when I read this was Gustav Schwab's "Greek and Roman Myths". That one was basically an institution for at least ten generation of German children who got it either for their first communion (Catholics) or confirmation (Lutherans). At least if the gift givers could be reasonably sure they a) liked to read and b) would be into myths. Maybe it was seen as the natural progression from fairy tales? I don't know.
But get it I did. There are several editions for the Schwab collection, including a slimmed down one. The one with the blue cover I received was the most complete there is, from Greek myths about the beginning of the world to Mucius Scaevola and friends. Now, Mr. Schwab, born 1792, died 1850, did bowlderize the myths somewhat, as I later found out when we read some of Ovid's Metamorphoses in school. I discovered that he'd made the gods look a bit better, as for example Athena in the story with Arachne. In Ovid's version, which was the one Schwab in all other matters used as a basis, Arachne wins the competition with her tapestry depicting the Olympian scandals, and Athena is so outraged that she destroys the tapestry, plus Arachne ends up as a spider. In Schwab's version, Athena wins, Arachne is so ashamed of having competed with the goddess that she tries to commit suicide, and Athena changes her into a spider out of mercy. I wasn't surprised to learn Gustav Schwab was not a fan of the German aborted revolution which in the years before his death tried its best to get some progress done.
Anyway: bowlderized or not, that blue book got me hooked and made me fall in love with myths for the rest of my life. All hail Gustav Schwab.
1. Favorite book from childhood
2. Best Bargain
3. One with a blue cover.
4. Least favorite book by favorite author.
5. Doesn't belong to me.
6. The one I always give as a gift.
7. Forgot I owned it.
8. Have more than one copy.
9. Film or TV tie-in.
10. Reminds me of someone I love.
11. Secondhand bookshop gem.
12. I pretend to have read it.
13. Makes me laugh.
14. An old favorite.
15. Favorite fictional father.
16. Can't believe more people haven't read.
17. Future classic.
18. Bought on a recommendation.
19. Still can't stop talking about it.
20. Favorite cover.
21. Summer read.
22. Out of print.
23. Made to read at school.
24. Hooked me into reading.
25. Never finished it.
26. Should have sold more copies.
27. Want to be one of the characters.
28. Bought at my fave independent bookshop.
29. The one I have reread most often.
30. Would save if my house burned down.
The German book club edition of Stephen King's The Dead Zone is blue, which is the one I possess, but the very first book that came to mind when I read this was Gustav Schwab's "Greek and Roman Myths". That one was basically an institution for at least ten generation of German children who got it either for their first communion (Catholics) or confirmation (Lutherans). At least if the gift givers could be reasonably sure they a) liked to read and b) would be into myths. Maybe it was seen as the natural progression from fairy tales? I don't know.
But get it I did. There are several editions for the Schwab collection, including a slimmed down one. The one with the blue cover I received was the most complete there is, from Greek myths about the beginning of the world to Mucius Scaevola and friends. Now, Mr. Schwab, born 1792, died 1850, did bowlderize the myths somewhat, as I later found out when we read some of Ovid's Metamorphoses in school. I discovered that he'd made the gods look a bit better, as for example Athena in the story with Arachne. In Ovid's version, which was the one Schwab in all other matters used as a basis, Arachne wins the competition with her tapestry depicting the Olympian scandals, and Athena is so outraged that she destroys the tapestry, plus Arachne ends up as a spider. In Schwab's version, Athena wins, Arachne is so ashamed of having competed with the goddess that she tries to commit suicide, and Athena changes her into a spider out of mercy. I wasn't surprised to learn Gustav Schwab was not a fan of the German aborted revolution which in the years before his death tried its best to get some progress done.
Anyway: bowlderized or not, that blue book got me hooked and made me fall in love with myths for the rest of my life. All hail Gustav Schwab.
1. Favorite book from childhood
2. Best Bargain
3. One with a blue cover.
4. Least favorite book by favorite author.
5. Doesn't belong to me.
6. The one I always give as a gift.
7. Forgot I owned it.
8. Have more than one copy.
9. Film or TV tie-in.
10. Reminds me of someone I love.
11. Secondhand bookshop gem.
12. I pretend to have read it.
13. Makes me laugh.
14. An old favorite.
15. Favorite fictional father.
16. Can't believe more people haven't read.
17. Future classic.
18. Bought on a recommendation.
19. Still can't stop talking about it.
20. Favorite cover.
21. Summer read.
22. Out of print.
23. Made to read at school.
24. Hooked me into reading.
25. Never finished it.
26. Should have sold more copies.
27. Want to be one of the characters.
28. Bought at my fave independent bookshop.
29. The one I have reread most often.
30. Would save if my house burned down.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-05 07:12 pm (UTC)Bernard Evslin tells the same version, which I encountered in elementary school (at a point where I knew the other story, so I objected to the changes). I wonder if he got it from Schwab.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-06 04:20 am (UTC)Otoh: it's entirely possible that they both acted from the same impulse independently from each other - they didn't want Athena (who arguably is a lot of people's favourite Greek goddess) to look cruel or unfair, whereas Ovid the Roman cynic did not have that problem, and they believed in "do not challenge the gods/higher authority" moral lessons.
(BTW, my very first Yuletide story was about Arachne taking her revenge and enlisting Niobe and Prometheus while she was at it.)