Kafka - Love the hook in Metamorphosis, one of my favorite openings.

So, Poe wins...damn, I thought that'd be closer...

Next up--

Musketeer Alexandre Dumas crosses swords with Percy Shelley.

And I'll go with Shelley by a hair.

Shelley: 1
Dumas: 0

"I am Ozymandias, King of Kings, look on my works ye mighty and despair." That said, the Three Musketeers and the Count of Monte Cristo are works many despair of matching.

Dumas

Dumas

Although I love both, D'Artagnan is simply one of my favorite heroes in all of French literature followed closely by Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.

Shelley 1
Dumas 2

Shelley

Shelley: 2
Dumas: 2

Dumas.

Dumas: 3
Shelley: 2

Quiet one so far...

Dumas.

Dumas 4
Shelley 2

Shelly

Oh, wait, wrong Shelly.

Dumas.

"The Count of Monte Cristo"
Absolutely the most satisfying novel of revenge

Dumas (I'd vote for him over either Shelly)

Dumas 6
Shelley 2

Shelley

Dumas 6
Shelley 3

I was offline for a day and happened to miss Poe, but, fortunately, it seems that he didn't really need my vote. Luckily, I'm back in time to vote for Shelley.

Shelley, of course.

Couldn't you have been gone tomorrow instead?

Dumas wins.

#VERGILTIME

VERGILI
ERRORZEROISNOTAREPRESENTABLECONCEPT

Vergil vs. Tolkien...

Which rabid fanbase/shady voting bloc will win to close out the Sweet 16?

Vergil: 1
Tolkien: 0

Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris
Italiam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venit
litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto
vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram;
multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem,
inferretque deos Latio, genus unde Latinum,
Albanique patres, atque altae moenia Romae.
Musa, mihi causas memora, quo numine laeso,
quidve dolens, regina deum tot volvere casus
insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores
impulerit. Tantaene animis caelestibus irae?

I sing of arms and the man, who first from the shores of Troy
Italy, exiled by fate, came the Lavinian
shores, having been tossed much on both land and sea
force of the gods of cruel account of the mindful anger;
much even in war suffered, until he could found a city,
and bring his gods to Latium, whence the Latin race,
Alban fathers and the walls of high Rome.
Muse, tell me the reasons, with what divine will is injured,
what painfully, queen of the gods of so many crises
man marked by piety, so many to go to the labours of the
motives. Gods such anger?

Just imagine that a bit more poetic.

I found a translation in heroic couplets, the nearest English equivalent of dactylic hexameter in terms of epic effect, sorta:

Arms, and the man I sing, who, forc'd by fate,
And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate,
Expell'd and exil'd, left the Trojan shore.
Long labors, both by sea and land, he bore,
And in the doubtful war, before he won
The Latian realm, and built the destin'd town;
His banish'd gods restor'd to rites divine,
And settled sure succession in his line,
From whence the race of Alban fathers come,
And the long glories of majestic Rome.
O Muse! the causes and the crimes relate;
What goddess was provok'd, and whence her hate;
For what offense the Queen of Heav'n began
To persecute so brave, so just a man;


I like it, but that's largely because of the translator. I guess I'll pick Tolkien over Virgil, but it's close, and ideally I'd eliminate both to make more room for Poe.

Tolkien.

I think I like Fishstudios' translation more.

Theo, is that a vote for Vergil?


VERGILI
TOLKIENI

I sing of arms, I sing of him, who from the Trojan land
Thrust forth by Fate, to Italy and that Lavinian strand
First came: all tost about was he on earth and on the deep
By heavenly might for Juno's wrath, that had no mind to sleep:
And plenteous war he underwent ere he his town might frame
And set his Gods in Latian earth, whence is the Latin name,
And father-folk of Alba-town, and walls of mighty Rome.

Say, Muse, what wound of godhead was whereby all this must come,
How grieving, she, the Queen of Gods, a man so pious drave
To win such toil, to welter on through such a troublous wave:
—Can anger in immortal minds abide so fierce and fell?

Another, very different translation of those first lines, but despite my enjoyment of Vergil, I'm going to vote for one of the father's of modern fantasy instead.

VERGIL: 1
TOLKIEN: 2

Tolkein

Will he ever outshine the epic poetry in academic circles? No, of course not. It is, however, called the "Favorite authors" thread and not the "Rightful place in the canon" thread.

VERGIL: 1
TOLKIEN: 3

ghug, obi ? Did you both vote for Vergil?