{"id":4942,"date":"2006-06-14T17:27:38","date_gmt":"2006-06-14T21:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=4942"},"modified":"2015-11-14T09:44:02","modified_gmt":"2015-11-14T14:44:02","slug":"on-the-stairmaster-in-the-roman-empire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=4942","title":{"rendered":"On The Stairmaster in the Roman Empire"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m reading Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic<\/a>\"\"<\/i>, this book on the fall of the Roman Empire. And the author uses words such as “big business”, “working out”, “blitzkrieg”, “fiscal-military establishment” … There are more. I should keep a list. So I get it. He’s trying to make it relevant and … you know … he’s trying to write in a way that I can relate to it. Because God forbid I learn about a world OTHER than my own. It has to SOMEHOW be relevant to mine in order to hold my attention. Right??? Because I’m so self-centered and unimaginative that if you DARE to write about a world other than my own my head will literally fly off my head and explode in a fiery mesh of confusion and dismay.<\/p>\n

“Wait … there were no cars back then? What strange country, friends, is this?????”<\/p>\n

Etc.<\/p>\n

This is a side issue.<\/p>\n

But … “working out” has been in the lexicon, how long? Cary Grant, by our modern standards, “worked out”. He lifted weights, swam, whatever. But he said, “I try to keep fit by exercising.” “Workout” is a modern term for “exercise”. I mean, whatever, of course I have to bring up Cary Grant because I’m a geek – but … to read about Pompeinius Maxiumus Glutitodinus III “working out” … just doesn’t seem right!! I highly doubt Cicero would be like, “Yo, man – I’m gonna go work out … I’ll orate with you later …” Well, he was kind of a sickly dude, so maybe he wouldn’t “work out” anyway – but … I don’t know. I’m not wacky about the language in this book. (Gibbon can be tough to get through – but I think his language is perfect for describing antiquity.)<\/p>\n

And “big business” … I mean, I realize there were businessmen in ancient times – but … it’s such a shorthand kind of word, meant to trigger a response in the reader – which in many cases I don’t think is appropriate.<\/p>\n

It’s jarring. It’s not just that they’re modern words – because of course, you have to use modern language to write books about the ancient world – it’s just … using SUCH localized terms as “working out” and “big business” and “blitzkrieg” – which is TRULY modern … seems kinda lazy.<\/p>\n

But whatevs. I’ll finish it. After my workout.<\/p>\n

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