EXEMPLARY STORIES (OXFORD WORLD S CLASSICS)

More popular in their day than Don Quxixote, Cervantes''s Exemplary Stories (1613) surprise, challenge and delight. Ranging from the picaresque to the satirical, the Exemplary Stories defy the conventions of heroic chivalric literature through a combination of comic irony, moral ambiguity, realism, and sheer mirth. This new translation captures the full vigor of Cervantes''s wit and make available two rarely printed gems, ''The Illustrious Kitchen Maid'' and ''The Power of Blood.'' ''West shows...ingenuity and resourcefulness at bringing across the complex linguistic, generic and social nuances of the originals....West''s book should be the translation of choice for students and general readers, whatever their motive for reading this poetry may be, and even experienced scholars will want to see what West has made of the difficult and controversial passages they encounter in their own study of Greek....By all means acquire this beautifully produced volume.''--International Journal of the Classical Tradition ''Clear, modern translation free of the defects of both literalism and unnecessary paraphrase. A very useful book for a survey of Greek lit course.''--Douglas Domingo Foraste, California State University at Long Beach ''A representative and entrancing collection faithfully rendered with musical elegance and, when the occasion demands, frankly lucid.''--E.N. Genovese, San Diego State University ''Finally an affordable replacement for Lattimore! This selection is enormous, the notes are generous in scope. I will adopt this next time I do Greek lit.''--D.W. Tandy, University of Tennessee ''While translation always pays a price, this one can boast a language vigorous and frank, and above all, readable.''--Donald L. Jennermann, Religious Studies Review