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The story of Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece is one of the oldest and most familiar tales in classical literature. Apollonius of Rhodes wrote the best-known version, in Greek, in the third century B.C.E. The Latin poet Gaius Valerius Flaccus began his own interpretation of the story in the first century of the Christian era, but he died before completing it.
With The Voyage of the "Argo," the acclaimed poet and translator David Slavitt recovers for modern readers the only surviving work of this little-known writer. The result is an engaging rendition of Jason's adventures, of particular interest when compared to the Greek version of the story. While Apollonius' tale offers a subtle psychological study of Medea, Valerius Flaccus' achievement is to present Jason as a more complete and compelling heroic figure. Slavitt, for one, enjoyed the rediscovery immensely -- and he invites his readers to do the same.
"I am content to let my rendition into English speak for Valerius, but for those whom I imagine standing in an aisle of a library or bookstore, trying to decide, I can offer some reassurance. This piece is playful, unpredictable, oddly contrarian, sometimes almost mannerist. Valerius' description in book 8 of Medea's putting the serpent to sleep so Jason can filch the fleece involves a gesture no other Latin poet I know would have thought to try -- a brief moment in Medea's head when she allows herself to feel sorry for the snake... It is this kind of droll surprise that drew me to undertake the translation of a work that is not, I freely confess, well known." -- David Slavitt
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Vladimir Pintro
reviewed The voyage of the Argo on October 17, 2012
The voyage of the Argo
For mythology buffs, few stories are more fun than the tale of Jason & the Argonauts. You've got adventure on the high seas, fire-breathing bulls, monstrous serpents, witchcraft, treachery, and much more (click here for a summary of the whole adventure). It's a ripping good yarn, even if the Argonauts' ultimate goal is a little…ummm…weird…
A dead sheep: the face that launched a single ship.
Going to all this hassle for a sheepskin, even a golden one, seems like an awful lot of trouble. But it was a long time ago (this story is actually set before the Trojan War), so I guess it was just a different age. Anyway, if you want to read the ancient version of this story, you have two choices: Jason and the Golden Fleece by Apollonius of Rhodes (written in the third century b.c.) and this Roman version written around the year 90. While both versions have something to offer, I would recommend Apollonius' interpretation for two reasons:
1. Flaccus died before completing his version. Although it contains most of the story, including the snatching of the fleece, it isn't 100% complete like Apollonius' poem.
2. Apollonius made some interesting choices in his version, including his portrayal of Jason. Unlike your standard epic hero, Apollonius' Jason has little martial ability, breaks down in tears in the face of adversity, and has no real skills other than the fortuitous ability to make powerful women fall head-over-heels in love with him. It all makes for a very different and rather refreshing take on the epic genre. Flaccus' poem is more of a by-the-numbers epic tale.
So, if you are interested in reading one of the ancient versions of this story, I'd recommend grabbing the Apollonius poem as translated by Peter Green. I would only recommend Flaccus' version for readers who have already read Apollonius' poem and are interested in another take on the story. That said, Flaccus' version really isn't bad, and is different enough from Apollonius' story to be interesting on its own merits. The Latin epics of the Silver Age tend to be uniformly dismissed as feeble imitations of Virgil, but I thought this was pretty good. David Slavitt does a nice job as translator, although he does have a bad habit of slipping modern idioms in there from time to time (for example, he once describes sex as "the joys of nookie"). But overall this was a good rendition of a great story…just not quite as strong as Apollonius' Greek version. 3 stars.
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