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Symposium or Drinking Party (Focus Philosophical Library)

by Plato (Author), Peter Kalkavage (Translator), Eva Brann (Translator),
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 23 ratings
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Purchase options and add-ons

This new edition of Plato's Symposium provides beginning readers and scholars alike with a solid, reliable translation that is both faithful to the original text and accessible to contemporary readers. In addition, the volume offers a number of aids to help the reader make his or her way through this remarkable work:
  • A concise introduction sets the scene, conveys the tenor of the dialogue, and introduces the reader to the main characters with a gloss on their backgrounds and a comment on their roles in the dialogue. It also provides a list of basic points for readers to keep in mind as they read the work.
  • A thought-provoking interpretive essay offers reflections on the themes of the dialogue, focusing especially on the dialogue as drama.
  • A select bibliography points to works, both classic and contemporary, that are especially relevant to readers of the Symposium.
  • Two appendices consist of a line drawing that depicts the spacial layout and positioning of characters in the Symposium, and a chart that shows the relation of the first six speeches to number, age, parentage and the function of Eros.
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  1. ISBN-10
    158510597X
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1585105977
  3. Publisher
    Focus
  4. Publication date
    February 14, 2017
  5. Part of series
    Focus Philosophical Library
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.29 x 8.5 inches
  8. Print length
    144 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"I seriously believe this will be the finest edition of the Symposium ever to appear in English. May it enlighten many students and be a very valuable addition to current scholarship in this area."
—Donald C. Lindenmuth, The Pennsylvania State University
 

"Brann, Kalkavage and Salem's translation is literal, but reads naturally in English. . . . Despite the high degree of linguistic accuracy that the authors maintain, they also convey the playful tone of the dialogue: they are alert to the humor and irony that pervade the text and they effectively handle the literary (mostly poetical) passages when they occur. In general, they do not provide restrictive interpretation; rather they open the text up to alternative readings. . . . More importantly, the translation is accompanied by useful notes that either focus on the text itself (e.g. on the etymology and meaning of words) or go beyond it (e.g., they offer additional information about the characters of the dialogue and its intertexts). . . . A well-produced edition, with a logical structure, clear objectives and a reasonable price. It is lucid and accessible and it should be counted among the best English translations of the Symposium."
 --Chara Kokkiou, University of Crete, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 
 

About the Author

Eva Brann, Peter Kalkavage and Eric Salem are Tutors at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. They have translated Plato's Sophist, Phaedo and Statesman for Focus. Peter Kalkavage has also translated Plato's Timaeus, now in a second edition.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Focus (February 14, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 158510597X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1585105977
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.29 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
23 global ratings

Top review from the United States

MCD
5.0 out of 5 stars Dramatic Setting
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2017
The translators have evaded some of the purpling found in ancient writings in general, and this text in particular. They do not strive for "literalness" in the way, for example, Bloom's Republic does. They have also made an effort to evade some distractions present in Benardete's translation. For example, Brann et al. translate "erotic matters", where Benardete translates "erotika". Small differences such as these allow for smoother reading. Another much welcome feature of this translation is its careful attention to the humor that pervades the dialogue. The interlocutors are having fun above all. They like discussing erotic matters. I've heard it said that Plato's greatest modern student is Shakespeare. This translation is in line with that interpretation, it seems to me. The back matter gives more detail to the setting. The translators have included the possible appearance of the scene of the dialogue, in addition to interpretive essays on each of the speeches given. The title of the translation says more than I can. "Symposium or Drinking Party". Make no mistake, you are reading the venerable Plato's Symposium, but do not forget that you are also attending a drinking party.
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