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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
This book is another one of my picks for “globalizing medieval studies.” Basically, if you want a good introductory list of texts from the medieval era that aren’t British, I’d certainly suggest reading Vis and Ramin, especially if you also like epics, romances, and poetry.
Things I Liked
1. Story About a Female Character: The introduction to my version of this text states that this story is mainly about Vis (the female character) and shows a remarkably complex interior life that is uncommon in other medieval texts. As a reader, I had to agree, and Vis and Ramin is now on my top picks of pre-modern lit about women that I would love to teach. Compared to other romances where the woman is a passive recipient of love and basically goes along with whatever the man does, Vis and Ramin features a feisty female protagonist who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and fight with her husband, the king. For example, when the king kills Vis’s father and makes war on her country for her hand (eventually winning and taking her off to be married against her will), she responds with, “How could I love you after that?” THANK YOU.
2. Prose: Gorgani’s style of writing is highly lyrical and emotional, while the descriptions of objects, persons, and feelings are unlike anything I’ve read before. The author is fond of what’s called the reversed image - as Davis shows in the introduction, instead of saying a woman longing for her lover is like a blazing fire, Gorgani will flip the image to say a blazing fire is like a woman longing for her lover. My favorite bit has to be a description of the night where Gorgani describes each part of the zodiac mourning for Vis’s fate along with rivers curling in upon themselves.
3. Supplementary Materials: The Penguin version of this book has a fantastic introduction, maps, and appendix with helpful materials to ensure readers have tools for understanding the text. I appreciated the comments Davis made on style and literary tradition, which made my experience of the text more enjoyable.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Pace: Due to the emphasis on style rather than narrative, the pace of the text can drag on a bit. This is not to say I dislike the style as a whole, just that sometimes, some of the imagery can feel repetitive and the progression of the plot will inevitably be stalled.
2. Rhyme: Davis’ translation ensures that the whole text rhymes, and while this may be an effective way to ensure English readers get some sense of the feel of the original language, I prefer more faithful translations.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in medieval literature, Persian literature, and romance. You might also like this book if you like Arthurian literature, especially Tristan and Iseult.
Things I Liked
1. Story About a Female Character: The introduction to my version of this text states that this story is mainly about Vis (the female character) and shows a remarkably complex interior life that is uncommon in other medieval texts. As a reader, I had to agree, and Vis and Ramin is now on my top picks of pre-modern lit about women that I would love to teach. Compared to other romances where the woman is a passive recipient of love and basically goes along with whatever the man does, Vis and Ramin features a feisty female protagonist who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and fight with her husband, the king. For example, when the king kills Vis’s father and makes war on her country for her hand (eventually winning and taking her off to be married against her will), she responds with, “How could I love you after that?” THANK YOU.
2. Prose: Gorgani’s style of writing is highly lyrical and emotional, while the descriptions of objects, persons, and feelings are unlike anything I’ve read before. The author is fond of what’s called the reversed image - as Davis shows in the introduction, instead of saying a woman longing for her lover is like a blazing fire, Gorgani will flip the image to say a blazing fire is like a woman longing for her lover. My favorite bit has to be a description of the night where Gorgani describes each part of the zodiac mourning for Vis’s fate along with rivers curling in upon themselves.
3. Supplementary Materials: The Penguin version of this book has a fantastic introduction, maps, and appendix with helpful materials to ensure readers have tools for understanding the text. I appreciated the comments Davis made on style and literary tradition, which made my experience of the text more enjoyable.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Pace: Due to the emphasis on style rather than narrative, the pace of the text can drag on a bit. This is not to say I dislike the style as a whole, just that sometimes, some of the imagery can feel repetitive and the progression of the plot will inevitably be stalled.
2. Rhyme: Davis’ translation ensures that the whole text rhymes, and while this may be an effective way to ensure English readers get some sense of the feel of the original language, I prefer more faithful translations.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in medieval literature, Persian literature, and romance. You might also like this book if you like Arthurian literature, especially Tristan and Iseult.
The translation is wonderful. I was expecting something closer to a medieval romance but found a rather different genre. The plot is secondary to the exposition which is many layered, richly decorative and often psychologically subtle. The exchange of conversations between Vis and Ramin before their final reconcialiation is masterful yet not at all realistic - rhetorical in the finest sense, bedecked with rich images, sensuous.
A perfect book.
A perfect book.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Solid English and accesible writing with helpful notes and commentary. But I supremely disliked the protagonists. They were vain, fickle and utterly absorbed in their own selves.
Perhaps the poetry in Layli and Majnun is better, but I still prefer Vis and Ramin. It has an energy to it that Layli and Majnun does not really have. It is exuberant and utterly unapologetic with Vis being unlike any other female character I read in a medieval text. Vis and Ramin is a delight, and maybe one of my new favorites. I wish more people read it.