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A review by elle_reads
The Lusiad: Or, the Discovery of India. an Epic Poem, Volume 2 by William Julius Mickle, Luís Vaz de Camões
3.0
(Instagram @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW⠀
[The Lusiads] The Portuguese explore their national identity through the exploration of Indian trade routes.
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🌟I STARTED A BLOG TO ADD MORE THOUGHTS! I will post more about The Lusiads later this week. Check it out! 🌟⠀
//⠀
WHAT I LIKED⠀
In a sense, Camoes writes as an inverted Homer. Homer was a blind poet - often thought to be a collective group of ancient poets - describing the actions of one man. It was unlikely Homer ever saw the islands his tale describes. Camoes is a half-blind poet who ACTUALLY TRAVELLED to the places in his poem. HOW COOL IS THAT? He lived in Asia for much of his life. While he wrote The Lusiads, it is believed he travelled Cambodia, China, and India. He is one poet describing the collective experience of Portuguese nobles through history.⠀
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Camoes plays with the form of epic poetry. He manipulates his choice of high versus low language as well as fantastical happenings to introduce Portuguese as a literary language. He plays with a balance of realism - scrapping “sludge” from the bottom of boats - and fantasy - many gods/nymphs/etc change the heroic paths. The religious aspects of this text are super interesting.⠀
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE⠀
Make sure you know Homer and Virgil before you read this. Like study them hard. You need to know the episodes of these classical poets to see the classical references Camoes makes to connect his country to his education of classical antiquity. CLASSICAL KNOWLEDGE. You need them for this.⠀
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It’s also important to understand Camoes' tale of Vasco de Gama acts as a story frame to depict past Portuguese nobility. It is a story of many and flashbacks are plentiful. That being said, it is an interesting ethnography of the lands Portugal “found” in their attempt to establish better Indian trade routes.
//
🌟I STARTED A BLOG TO ADD MORE THOUGHTS! I will post more about The Lusiads later this week. Check it out! 🌟⠀
//⠀
The Lusiads (Luis Vaz de Camoes) ⚡️⚡️⚡️3/5⠀
//⠀
Thank you to #gutenbergproject for giving all access to this epic for free.⠀
BOOK REVIEW⠀
[The Lusiads] The Portuguese explore their national identity through the exploration of Indian trade routes.
//
🌟I STARTED A BLOG TO ADD MORE THOUGHTS! I will post more about The Lusiads later this week. Check it out! 🌟⠀
//⠀
WHAT I LIKED⠀
In a sense, Camoes writes as an inverted Homer. Homer was a blind poet - often thought to be a collective group of ancient poets - describing the actions of one man. It was unlikely Homer ever saw the islands his tale describes. Camoes is a half-blind poet who ACTUALLY TRAVELLED to the places in his poem. HOW COOL IS THAT? He lived in Asia for much of his life. While he wrote The Lusiads, it is believed he travelled Cambodia, China, and India. He is one poet describing the collective experience of Portuguese nobles through history.⠀
//⠀
Camoes plays with the form of epic poetry. He manipulates his choice of high versus low language as well as fantastical happenings to introduce Portuguese as a literary language. He plays with a balance of realism - scrapping “sludge” from the bottom of boats - and fantasy - many gods/nymphs/etc change the heroic paths. The religious aspects of this text are super interesting.⠀
//⠀
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE⠀
Make sure you know Homer and Virgil before you read this. Like study them hard. You need to know the episodes of these classical poets to see the classical references Camoes makes to connect his country to his education of classical antiquity. CLASSICAL KNOWLEDGE. You need them for this.⠀
//⠀
It’s also important to understand Camoes' tale of Vasco de Gama acts as a story frame to depict past Portuguese nobility. It is a story of many and flashbacks are plentiful. That being said, it is an interesting ethnography of the lands Portugal “found” in their attempt to establish better Indian trade routes.
//
🌟I STARTED A BLOG TO ADD MORE THOUGHTS! I will post more about The Lusiads later this week. Check it out! 🌟⠀
//⠀
The Lusiads (Luis Vaz de Camoes) ⚡️⚡️⚡️3/5⠀
//⠀
Thank you to #gutenbergproject for giving all access to this epic for free.⠀