Search found 452 matches

by karen
Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:49 pm
Forum: Alexander the Great in the Media
Topic: Alexander the Great: A Two Part Movie?
Replies: 37
Views: 16632

I may not be one to judge, perhaps knowing the story too well to really discern, but I think it actually was coherent and understandable for people with no prior Alexander knowledge -- in the Revisited version. BTW, Oliver Stone has just launched a project about yet another most powerful leader in t...
by karen
Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:05 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Alexander the Great Failure- John D Grainger
Replies: 76
Views: 31672

The idea of Alexander as eternal adolescent to me is nothing more than another example of amateur psychologists pretending they can go back in time and put him on the couch. By every actual measurable factor -- successes, promotions, opinions of people around him -- he was mature and responsible far...
by karen
Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:17 pm
Forum: Alexander the Great in the Media
Topic: Alexander the Great: A Two Part Movie?
Replies: 37
Views: 16632

An actor has to work not only from the direction, but from the script. He had some really sucky lines, as did Angelina Jolie.
by karen
Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:34 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Famous Portrayals of Alexander: Ancient or Modern
Replies: 4
Views: 2654

I can add six off the top of my head (two ancient, four modern, and one not an author but a movie director): Curtius: Alexander the genius ruined by good fortune Arrian: Alexander the brilliantly pragmatic general Mary Renault: Alexander the passionate, tragic hero Peter Green: Alexander the angry, ...
by karen
Sun Dec 23, 2007 6:12 pm
Forum: 'Off-topic' forum
Topic: Happy Christmas
Replies: 9
Views: 4553

Christmas Greetings

Image

...and goodwill to our own little Brotherhood of Man (& Woman) :D

Many happy returns and all the best in 2008,
Karen
by karen
Sun Dec 23, 2007 2:07 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: ALEXANDER THE GREAT - IMPACT OF THE 325 BC TSUNAMI
Replies: 7
Views: 4033

This thread got me surfing about tsunamis again (no pun intended). When I wrote that if you're far out at sea, you just go up for a while and then down for a while, it wasn't entirely accurate, as it sounded like you're going a long way up and then a long way down. In deep water, even major tsunamis...
by karen
Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:36 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: ALEXANDER THE GREAT - IMPACT OF THE 325 BC TSUNAMI
Replies: 7
Views: 4033

A squirmish is a little fight where you don't feel quite comfortable with what you're doing. But seriously -- it's an interesting premise, but I agree with Marcus in that without a lot more cites, and a detailed laying-out of the logic that supposedly dates the tsunami in Oct/Nov 325, it's not convi...
by karen
Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:11 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: The Conquests of Alexander by Waldemar Heckel
Replies: 43
Views: 17207

I would note that everyone edits quotes ??? I don't -- I just straight cut and paste, and never remove context that is necessary to accurately represent the person's meaning. If there's a bit missing in the middle I use the academic convention of adding an ellipse. Andrew, it's in writing . On an I...
by karen
Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:26 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: The Conquests of Alexander by Waldemar Heckel
Replies: 43
Views: 17207

I have to agree with Amyntoros and Paralus, Andrew, that you've done something pretty low here, especially editing a quote to distort a person's words to look more like what you're accusing her of, and casting aspersions on what you thought was her nationality. This is not a suitable level of discou...
by karen
Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:42 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Novel preparation
Replies: 7
Views: 3700

Hi Stathi (et al): As a three-times published novelist I'll second what Ruthaki says about the importance of "beta-readers" and writers' groups. (I was in a group in Toronto for about 10 years that produced eight professional novelists.) I'll also second that novel-writing, and learning no...
by karen
Sun Nov 11, 2007 2:45 pm
Forum: Art and Culture
Topic: How much do you know about Macedon? Try this quiz.
Replies: 16
Views: 7108

I got 8/10... was certain on most of them, iffy on three or four, but unfortunately, it doesn't tell you which questions you got wrong!
by karen
Fri Nov 02, 2007 4:12 am
Forum: Alexander's contemporaries
Topic: Question about Hephaistion’s marriage
Replies: 26
Views: 12558

Moffetbaby, I suspect there's a very basic and elemental thing you're misunderstanding about marriage customs among nobility and royalty in ancient times. I think you are thinking of marriage the way we think of it, a romantic coupling formalized into a life partnership. Ancient marriage among nobil...
by karen
Tue Oct 23, 2007 12:20 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander's speech at Opis according to Arrian
Replies: 6
Views: 7106

I've always thought that part of that speech seemed a bit wonky, especially the "I stay awake so you can sleep" line. I mean, I know people who are doing guilt trips will sometimes lay it on with a trowel, but this is... well, Amyntoros, you already said it. But Arrian is usually so consci...
by karen
Sun Oct 21, 2007 2:28 pm
Forum: Alexander's contemporaries
Topic: A Hephaistion Quiz!
Replies: 112
Views: 55211

Perhaps not proof, but very convincing evidence in my mind. You're a smart person, Marcus... ever gone on a date with someone who really has nothing in her head? Would you marry her, and sentence yourself to limiting yourself to talking only about what she understands in all conversations with the c...
by karen
Sat Oct 20, 2007 1:29 am
Forum: Alexander's contemporaries
Topic: A Hephaistion Quiz!
Replies: 112
Views: 55211

I'd have to check, but I don't think that Heckel has ever intimated that Hephaistion was not very bright. Not particularly well-liked, definitely; not a gifted commander, for sure; but I don't recall H. ever suggesting he was dim. Pardon me -- :oops: -- having checked, I am reminded: it was Peter G...