Classics major recommendations

Better become good at Greek pretty soon cause I got bad news. You're going to take an intro to classical Greek mythology class your first year and you will be reading the Greeks in English

You won't be able to easily read Homer (or Demosthenes, or any plays) in the original for at least 2 years of intensive study. You may be able to handle Xenophon or Thucydides after a year, but don't count on it. Reading in original is good, and it certainly helps your understanding, but it's far too much effort to translate anything more than a few chapters at a time. Swallow your pride and read in translation.

>>9915267
>>9915274
Thank you both

I agree, you're much better off reading in translation for now and studying the classical languages on the side. Take this opportunity to appreciate the works on a more natural, enjoyable level. By the time you start uni you'll be able to breeze through basic coursework and start getting into the real work of studying them in the original. Besides, you never get everything out of a book in the first read-through anyway.

Any decent Classics department will list their required reading on their website. That will give you some insight into their priorities in teaching. The Ivys should have a similar list if your school doesn't list anything.

Alternately, start with the Greeks.

I would argue that the merit of any great work of literature is that it becomes the better the more often you read it. The first time reading is only supposed to give you a certain kind of overview of the work anyway. By rereading you discover things you didn't notice before or perhaps forgot. Also since you took in the story previously it gives you more freedom to focus on other aspects of the text. Furthermore, reading it in English and then later again in Greek would give you a good standpoint for comparison of different interpretations/translations of texts. I think particularly for Greek the possible multitude of meanings for a specific word are a key aspect.

>>9915936
>>9915975
>>9916115
thank you three as well, this helps me very much

>classics
Fucking tool. Keep sucking massah's dick.