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Late in the eleventh century the First Crusade culminated in the conquest of Jerusalem by Christian armies. Five centuries later, when Torquato Tasso began to search for a subject worthy of an epic, Jerusalem was governed by a sultan, Europe was in the crisis of religious division, and the Crusades were a nostalgic memory. Tasso turned to the First Crusade both as a subject that would test his poetic ambition and as a reflection on the quandaries of his own time. He sought to create a masterpiece that would deserve comparison with the great epics of the past.Gerusalemme liberata became one of the most widely read and cherished books of the Renaissance. First published in 1581, it was translated into English by Edward Fairfax in 1600. That translation has been the standard, even though Fairfax was only a good, not a great, poet. Fairfax tried to fit Tasso's verse into Spenserian stanzas, adding to and subtracting from the original and often changing Tasso's meaning. Anthony Esolen's new translation captures the delight of Tasso's descriptions, the different voices of its cast of characters, the shadings between glory and tragedy -- and it does all this in an English as powerful and clear as Tasso's Italian. Tasso's masterpiece finally emerges as an English masterpiece.
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| $99.99 | Digital |
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Rowland H. Meade
reviewed Jerusalem delivered (Gerusalemme liberata) on July 29, 2011 Jerusalem delivered
Absolutely beautiful work, and my favorite epic poem - hands down.
I had never heard of this work until I took a class called "From Homer to Star Wars" in which we, as the name implies, started with Homer's epics, and followed major epics through to Star Wars. There are several comments which I wish to make about this incredible piece.
1) The poetry is incredible: The description of Satan put my hair on end and left me speechless. Also, note the brilliance of the description of the soldiers marching - blending into the sun at the horizon, wings on their feet and wings in their heart lifting them toward battle. I was spellbound. The same mastery is found throughout the tale.
2) When reading the epics chronologically, note that this is the FIRST of the major epics in which all of the female characters are JUST as developed as the male characters. Yes, Penelope is a strong female character, but not in comparison to the women here.
3) Pay special attention to Tasso's understanding of psychology: A perfect example is when Tancred, who is always described as having never been afraid, first experiences fear. Keep in mind that Tasso suffered from mental illness himself, and was, therefore, most likely very attuned to the inner workings of the mind.
Brilliant. Magical. Spellbinding. A true work of art. I could go on, but it's probably best if you just find out for yourself...
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