Frederick Wheelock, then, did, not see his book as some sort of technical manual. He saw it as an invitation to engage as human beings with our brothers and sisters from the past who expressed themselves through the Latin language.
Blog
O Bone Deus: Adventures with the Vocative
Who knows, they may be right. Maybe Scribonius Largus was not an inept Latin stylist, but a champion of Writing For The Common Man. Either way, his work does cast some light on our discussion of the vocative singular of deus.
Something is Always Lost in Translation
The choices, preferences, experiences, and particular strengths and weaknesses of a given book's creators will unavoidably shape its presentation of the Latin language. Any and every introductory text will have a bias of some sort or other.
What’s the Best Kind of Book for Reading Latin?
The good news is that there's something for everyone. There are books for folks who want or need lots of help, there are versions for those who just want to engage the plain Latin text. If you're somewhere in between, well, you're covered too.
Words are a Window: Symbol and Mystery in the Creed
Words are our windows to the mind of our predecessors, and what we find there might surprise us. And, quite possibly, enlighten us.
Latin Via Ovid: a Message from Exile
So, in the end, the big question is this: do the strengths of the exclusive focus on Ovid outweigh the drawbacks? On the whole, I think they do . . . with conditions.
Eternity is Now: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
Every time we sing it or listen to "Of the Father's Love Begotten," we stand with the previous sixty-odd generations of forebears who sang the same song. Eternity is now.
A Poetic Shock Absorber: Phaedrus’s Fabulae
Phaedrus, it seems, had high expectations for children's literary understanding. Or maybe, as A.A. Milne does in his Winnie the Pooh stories, he wanted to throw in a little something for the benefit of the adults who do the actual reading.
A Go-To Text for Latin III: Jenney’s 2nd Year Latin
And what, you may wonder, are the strongest features? Glad you asked. As is the case with the first book in this series, clarity and thoroughness are the strengths of Jenney's Second Year Latin.
Cracking the Code: Reading Latin
The Latin language is a little bit (just a little) like the alien language from the film. At least it is from the perspective of us speakers of Modern English.