Get the book here: a.co/d/eAAh3Bf Many learners find that despite having attained a solid grasp of grammar, reading authentic Roman literature is still too often a struggle, and doubly so when it comes to poetry. The grammar and vocabulary gap between the texts they're used to from their textbooks and readers, on the one hand, and unadapted classical-era Latin, on the other, is simply too large. Yet the resources to bridge this gap are almost non-existent: learners are simply told to force their way towards literature using a dictionary, or at best a bilingual edition. The tiered reading approach is a great way to bridge the intermediate gap, as it's commonly called. A target text is picked and then rephrased at two or more lower levels of difficulty, ideally supplied with a monolingual glossary using vocabulary commonly found in textbooks. The amount of input is thus greatly amplified, and the learner is able to start at a comfortable level and progress to the original text while staying in the target language. The result is a great boost in acquisition. Despite the approach gaining currency in Latin instruction, there exist very few high-quality tiered readers; many attempt to start with a beginner A level, others limit themselves to simply cutting out chunks of the text, seemingly on the assumption that less text means more comprehension. Last year's The Lover's Curse, an illustrated Aeneid reader authored by Carla and edited by Jessica, clearly stands out as an example of how it should be done. Inspired by that book's success, Jessica enlisted my help to write our new tiered reader, titled Ericthō, Tartarōrum Terror ('Erictho: The Terror of the Underworld'). This is a reader of select passages from Dē Bellō Cīvīlī aka Pharsālia by L. Annaeus Lūcānus, known in English as Lucan. Its first tier is aimed at a solidly intermediate level, and the text we chose is far less read than the Aeneid, but its subject matter is no less exciting - the Roman Civil War, Pompey's impious son Sextus, and, of course, Erictho, a Thessalian witch who terrifies the dead by being able to summon them from the Underworld so that she can learn the future! Besides the 222 verses and their rephrasings together with a glossary for each section, our book contains an English and a Latin introduction. The former outlines our reasoning and approach to writing the book and gives some advanced hints for reading hexameter poetry, while the latter will teach you to talk about Latin pronunciation and scansion in Latin, as well as giving the necessary background information about the text and its author. Most sections are supplied with some nice antique and modern illustrations. In the video, you'll be able to see a demo of our book and hear me recite a difficult passage of verse, which you will then attempt to understand using two rephrasings that, while being of lower difficulty, are still not exactly textbook Latin and stick closely to the Classical idiom. We hope to help you assess your Latin comprehension ability and get you excited to follow the story of Erictho to its end. ~ Victor ~
@@lupusalatus7515 I am reading Familia Romana (about the very round dog) and also a little Gesta Romanorum and Legenda Aurea. I suck at Latin but I'm catching up!
@ It really looks fantastic, and the Latin I saw in this video is remarkable. And bravo to Viktor for the beautiful pronunciation and voice acting. How amusing the whole project is! Erictho ! I’m definitely getting myself a copy. My bookshelves have been clamoring for Statius for years, and I never indulged them. Change is in the air.
@@MrLaulaulaulauVictor is really good at reciting! I’m glad that you think what little of the Latin you can see is ok. I get nervous about things like that, no matter how many times we’ve read over it.
wow! you guys! i am so excited about your book. i may not be quite ready yet, but i will have my copy and refer to it every once in awhile during my learning journey and the day will come, like with your videos, where i can read and understand! thank you both!
It is now available on Amazon.com and .fr and .de. It's supposed to be listed on .uk, .es, .it, and .pl at the least, but it seems like Amazon is taking some time to approve it in those countries. We will also be expanding distribution through Ingram Spark later this month. Thank you for asking~
@@TrierarchusScotus He’s not portrayed very positively in this book…Erictho herself is way more out there, but I think part of the reason for her extreme portrayal is to show him, a guy who dares to go to someone so feral and unhinged for help, in a bad light.
@@lupusalatus7515 Oh, I don't mind. I assumed Lucan was threading a dangerous needle, writing in the reign of Nero. I figured he had to throw them some Pro-Augustan red meat. Still, it sounded like a very cool Macbeth-like sequence, though I have never had the pleasure of reading it in Latin.
![De Inferis et Ericthone (On the Underworld and Erictho) [in Latin]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PqyMyhuezTo/mqdefault.jpg)
Get the book here: a.co/d/eAAh3Bf
Many learners find that despite having attained a solid grasp of grammar, reading authentic Roman literature is still too often a struggle, and doubly so when it comes to poetry. The grammar and vocabulary gap between the texts they're used to from their textbooks and readers, on the one hand, and unadapted classical-era Latin, on the other, is simply too large. Yet the resources to bridge this gap are almost non-existent: learners are simply told to force their way towards literature using a dictionary, or at best a bilingual edition.
The tiered reading approach is a great way to bridge the intermediate gap, as it's commonly called. A target text is picked and then rephrased at two or more lower levels of difficulty, ideally supplied with a monolingual glossary using vocabulary commonly found in textbooks. The amount of input is thus greatly amplified, and the learner is able to start at a comfortable level and progress to the original text while staying in the target language. The result is a great boost in acquisition.
Despite the approach gaining currency in Latin instruction, there exist very few high-quality tiered readers; many attempt to start with a beginner A level, others limit themselves to simply cutting out chunks of the text, seemingly on the assumption that less text means more comprehension. Last year's The Lover's Curse, an illustrated Aeneid reader authored by Carla and edited by Jessica, clearly stands out as an example of how it should be done.
Inspired by that book's success, Jessica enlisted my help to write our new tiered reader, titled Ericthō, Tartarōrum Terror ('Erictho: The Terror of the Underworld'). This is a reader of select passages from Dē Bellō Cīvīlī aka Pharsālia by L. Annaeus Lūcānus, known in English as Lucan. Its first tier is aimed at a solidly intermediate level, and the text we chose is far less read than the Aeneid, but its subject matter is no less exciting - the Roman Civil War, Pompey's impious son Sextus, and, of course, Erictho, a Thessalian witch who terrifies the dead by being able to summon them from the Underworld so that she can learn the future!
Besides the 222 verses and their rephrasings together with a glossary for each section, our book contains an English and a Latin introduction. The former outlines our reasoning and approach to writing the book and gives some advanced hints for reading hexameter poetry, while the latter will teach you to talk about Latin pronunciation and scansion in Latin, as well as giving the necessary background information about the text and its author. Most sections are supplied with some nice antique and modern illustrations.
In the video, you'll be able to see a demo of our book and hear me recite a difficult passage of verse, which you will then attempt to understand using two rephrasings that, while being of lower difficulty, are still not exactly textbook Latin and stick closely to the Classical idiom. We hope to help you assess your Latin comprehension ability and get you excited to follow the story of Erictho to its end.
~ Victor ~
Familia Romana taught me more than too many years of Latin in school. I'm super happy to be able to understand the simple version!
Congrats on learning with LLPSI: FR! What are you reading now?
@@lupusalatus7515 I am reading Familia Romana (about the very round dog) and also a little Gesta Romanorum and Legenda Aurea. I suck at Latin but I'm catching up!
@@LookAwaaay It it Colloquia Personarum where Julia has as dog?
@@lupusalatus7515 it's in both, once just a mention and in the dialogue book it's longer
This presentation is great!
@@zmaja Thanks, Maja!
Hey Jessica this is fantastic ! Well done.
@@MrLaulaulaulau Thank you! It makes me happy you think it looks good. I hope you are working on publishing something else in Latin.
@ It really looks fantastic, and the Latin I saw in this video is remarkable. And bravo to Viktor for the beautiful pronunciation and voice acting. How amusing the whole project is! Erictho ! I’m definitely getting myself a copy. My bookshelves have been clamoring for Statius for years, and I never indulged them. Change is in the air.
@@MrLaulaulaulauVictor is really good at reciting! I’m glad that you think what little of the Latin you can see is ok. I get nervous about things like that, no matter how many times we’ve read over it.
wow! you guys! i am so excited about your book. i may not be quite ready yet, but i will have my copy and refer to it every once in awhile during my learning journey and the day will come, like with your videos, where i can read and understand! thank you both!
Thank you again for your kind words! Keep going. You’ll get there.
Will the book be available in Europe?
It is now available on Amazon.com and .fr and .de. It's supposed to be listed on .uk, .es, .it, and .pl at the least, but it seems like Amazon is taking some time to approve it in those countries. We will also be expanding distribution through Ingram Spark later this month. Thank you for asking~
Just in time for Saturnalia. I can’t wait. Sextus Pompey is actually my favorite historical figure from the period.
@@TrierarchusScotus He’s not portrayed very positively in this book…Erictho herself is way more out there, but I think part of the reason for her extreme portrayal is to show him, a guy who dares to go to someone so feral and unhinged for help, in a bad light.
@@lupusalatus7515 Oh, I don't mind. I assumed Lucan was threading a dangerous needle, writing in the reign of Nero. I figured he had to throw them some Pro-Augustan red meat. Still, it sounded like a very cool Macbeth-like sequence, though I have never had the pleasure of reading it in Latin.