LIVING WITH A DEAD LANGUAGE by Ann Patty

Salve! You may have noticed that I took a bit of a sabbatical from this blog. I was busy (a LOT has happened since I last posted) and I wasn't getting much feedback on the books I posted about. I think now the time is right to get back to it. So many people are working remotely during this Corona Virus Crisis and might soon tire of streaming TV, naps, cleaning, and talking to the other people living in their homes. They might. I'm here to recommend reading as an alternative. Getting lost in a good book is the most intellectually-satisfying way to spend some hours of seclusion, don't you think? Read a good book and you'll have fodder for conversations when they do happen. Readers are leaders.

This month I read a fantastic book written by Ann Patty, a retired book editor. (You've heard of Flowers in the Attic and The Life of Pi? Those were hers.) A funny thing happened when she retired: she got bored. She decided to take up an endeavor she had been thinking about for years. She decided to learn Latin! I've tried, unsuccessfully, to learn Latin on multiple occasions, but always run aground. Patty dove into the deep end of Latin learning by auditing Latin courses at Vassar College. She enjoyed excellent teachers with varying teaching styles and always had someone to practice with. This was one of my difficulties: I didn't always have a practice partner, and there's no place on this planet to go where people walk around speaking Latin. That's why it's called a "dead" language.

Latin is fascinating, though, because you learn roots of words we use in English, and translating Latin is kind of like an intellectual puzzle. Ann Patty had her challenges with it, but she loved those. The reader can tell she was delightfully obsessed with this project, and I'd be willing to bet that she is still enjoying it now.

It's true that she mentions and explains various points of Latin grammar that the average reader probably won't understand. That's okay, really, because it is Patty's story that is compelling, not Latin declensions. I found myself making flashcards of interesting vocabulary words, quotes, and points of grammar. These really do come in handy, and I don't mean simply for impressing my friends with my rudimentary Latin language.

My challenge to you is this: think of a book you've always wanted to read. Maybe it's Moby Dick or Little Women or The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Think of a movie or mini-series based on a book that you enjoyed and read the book for a much more nuanced understanding of the plot and characters. Maybe you watched Poldark, Little Women, or Emma. Did you watch The Durrells in Corfu? Read one of Gerald Durrell's many books, or Lawrence's. I just discovered Margot wrote a memoir, too. Post a comment on this blog about what you're reading or intending to read. I'm so interested to know! Let's keep each other company during this unfortunate time of social distancing and self-quarantine.

P.S. If you haven't watched The Durrells in Corfu, a PBS Masterpiece miniseries, I recommend that, too.