mildred_of_midgard: (Default)
mildred_of_midgard ([personal profile] mildred_of_midgard) wrote in [personal profile] selenak 2022-01-15 05:21 pm (UTC)

*stares* But not combining Sallust & at least one of the Cicero speeches makes no sense!

That's what I said at the time! Why do you think I spent half my reply to your last Classics post ranting about my love-hate relationship with my Classics education? Love (most of) the material, hate the way it was taught.

Very emblematic of the problem was this exchange I had in college, with my medieval philosophy prof.

Me: I'm doing an independent study in the Classics department next semester, and I'd like to read some medieval philosophy in Latin. I was hoping you could recommend an interesting text.

Prof: *recommends some things*

Prof: But really what you should do is look at some works in English first. Get a sense of what's out there and what might be of interest to you, and pick something you liked.

Me: Ah, no, see, I can't do that. If I'm familiar with the text at all, then it's cheating. I have to go in completely blind, or it doesn't count as reading Latin.

Historical facts were doled out in dribs and drabs, orally, by the professor, *after* we had struggled through the Latin passage the night before and come to class in complete confusion. Which is why my knowledge of 100 BCE - 100 CE is so spotty.

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