Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, Interactive Edition (9th Edition)

Book Description

Literature, 9/e, the most popular introduction of its kind, is organized into three genres¤Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. As in past editions, the authors' collective poetic voice brings personal warmth and a human perspective to the discussion of literature, adding to students' interest in the readings. An introduction to a balance of contemporary and classic stories, poems, and plays. Casebooks offer in-depth look at an author or clusters of works, for example “Latin American Poetry.” Authors Joe Kennedy and Dana Gioia provide inviting and illuminating introductions to the authors included and to the elements of literature. Coverage of writing about literature is also included. For those interested in literature.

Customer Reviews:

One of my personal favorite anthologies!.......2007-04-30

Literature textbooks like these are quite worth the price that you're paying for. First, it lacks the visual colorful photos of another textbooks and focuses in on literature. I am glad to see Philip Roth's story, Conversion of the Jews, to be included in the short story section. Primarily because Roth writes novels, his short stories are few. he should be in the anthologies because he is one of America's foremost writers and most American particularly New Jerseyans don't know who he is. In 2005, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Anyway, I picked this book up at a yard sale. This book is filled with tremendous assortment of authors, writers, and poets like Somerset Maugham, John Updike, James Thurber, William Faulkner, Katherine Mansfield, Toni Cade Bambara, Edgar Allen Poe, Katherine Anne Porter, Jamaica Kincaid, Margaret Atwood, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Kate Chopin, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Anne Tyler, Stephen Crane, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., John Steinbeck, Shirley Jackson, Alice Munro, Leo Tolstoi, Raymond Carver, Anton Chekhov, Flannery O'Connor, Ambrose Bierce, Jorge Luis Borges, Willa Cather, Langston Hughes, Franz Kafka, D.H. Lawrence, Joyce Carol Oates, Frank O'Connor, Tillie Olsen, Edith Wharton, William Carlos Williams, Charlotte Bronte, Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, William Butler Yeats, Robert Frost, Thoeodore Roethke, Countee Cullen, Anne Bradstreet, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, John Milton, William Wordsworth, W.H. Auden, John Betjeman, Thomas Hardy, JOnathan Swift, William Blake, Robert Grave, John Donne, Herman Melville, Wole Soyinka, Lewis Carroll, Wallace Stevens, E.E. Cummings, Gwendolyn Brooks, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, Elizabeth Bishop, Oscar Wilde, Jean Toomer, John Keats, Walt Whitman, H.D., Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, Denise Levertov, John Ashbery, Ben Jonson, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Paul Simon, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Aphra Behn, A.E. Housman, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Dorothy Parker, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Alexander Pope, Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Olson, Louise Bogan, Anne Sexton, and so many countless other authors, writers, poets, playwrights, etc. that makes this book nearly perfect for a classroom without all the notes and nonsense that clutter some textbooks.

Literature: An Introduction Revisited.......2005-09-13

I wrote to complain about the 7th edition of this standard anthology because the editors had removed one of the world's truly great short stories, Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilych," from the volume. I must now eat my words because the editors have replaced that work; I am pleased to say that I once again endorse and use the work. I wrote about the 7th edition; the Tolstoy restoration, I think, occurred in the 8th edition. I am writing now about the 9th edition, which is certainly strong and useful; I know the editors shouldn't try to please everyone.

I do not, however, retract my comments about the use of pop songs to teach poetry; I think the section on "pop" is a major flaw in the work. One person complained (in this space) about my wanting to restore Tolstoy to the textbook--from his comments, I gathered that the person thought Tolstoy (1828-1910) was an American writer, rather than Russian; he kept speaking about "multiculturalism" and "international literature" as though Tolstoy did not represent a "diverse culture." Frankly I think that all the currently popular songs (rap or rock or something else) represent a perverse culture rather than a diverse culture. The same person implied his disgust at "humanism" and "liberalism," labels that I would be proud to wear.

It does matter what is included in a textbook for introducing literature at the college level. I think the current edition of Kennedy and Gioia is a good, solid work. (And if someone is incapable of distinguishing between "poetry" and "verse," I have nothing further to say.) The student essays remain, but I will not quarrel with that. But let me see: if I were a carpenter and teaching students to build a house, would I show them examples of dilapidated, poorly-constructed ones because that is the extent of their current ability, or would I show them a house that was constructed by professionals?

Good solid compilation for traditional approach.......2005-02-03

A very nice textbook, with a broad selection of literature, thought-provoking questions on each selection, short author bios, discussions of literature-related concepts, and even some pictures of authors. By tackling fiction, poetry, and drama all, the book has a very comprehensive and broad approach. A specialist in any of these three areas might look elsewhere for a more focused approach to their field; for a far-ranging english literature, class, the book is very solid.

The Best Teaching Anthology.......2001-01-29

... First of all, it is massive and contains three books in one - fiction, poetry and drama. Each section includes a plethora of selections as well as longer works (like the full length plays of Hamlet and Macbeth). So one is really getting quite a library from this one book.

Even better, the sections are organized along themes in order to teach the student (or interested reader) how to appreciate the various forms. So the poetry section has sections on sound, figures of speech, rhythm, closed and open form, etc. I suppose this comes from it being a textbook for undergraduate courses - in any case, it pays off. I've learned a tremendous amount already. It's all in very easy to understand non-technical language, too.

At the end of the book, there is even a brief section on various forms of literary criticism. The book contains numerous student essays, brief author biographies, reflections by the authors on their own works (this is really great), and it reflects a really broad range of genres and time periods (unfortunately the section on haiku is plagued by bad translations, and there aren't enough examples of Chinese and other Japanese poetry... oh well!). There is also an emphasis on getting the reader to practice (and write for him or herself) what is being taught. So if you want to be a writer, this is great.

If you're a beginner interested in getting into literature, this is really a great way to do it. Don't be put off by the massiveness of this book - it's really a resource. Just start in one small place (I started in 'poetry') and work your way around. It will definitely increase your appreciation for literature.

Decent Anthology.......2000-06-05

The Kennedy Anthology is a decent dependable sampler. I studied from it as an undergraduate and I now use it, as a grad student, to teach introductory lit classes (supplementing it, of course, with outside material)

I'm suprised, however, at the reviewer's comments above. Yes, Kennedy includes rock songs in the poetry section, but claims dismissing their inclusion are faulty for two reasons. 1)Rock lyrics, whether you're fond of them or not, do qualify as poetry (they are verse, after all and whether or not rock and roll lyrics stand as "good" poetry is a completely separate issue) and 2)Despite the fact that popular lyrics are included in the poetry section, the canonical giants are still well-represented (no need to fret, Whitman hasn't gone anywhere). In other words, if you dislike the rock lyrics, well, simply don't teach them.

More importantly, in a field as diverse and (usually) liberal as literature, I'm shocked that people still complain about multiculturalism and international literature "taking away" from established great texts. Isn't this PC debate over? Haven't we all now simply accepted the fact that including diverse texts isn't a PC issue but rather an issue of good old common sense? Does anyone really still question the validity of marginalized (yet talented) voices being heard? Hasn't liberal humanism (at least in its problematic manifestations) been successfully deconstructed? Frankly, I'm frightened to think how there are English instructors out there actually arguing AGAINST diversity. Then again, I'm also incredibly naive.

Book Description

An introduction to poetry presented in a compact and concise anthology, SOUND AND SENSE continues the tradition of offering clear, precise writing and practical organization initiated by Laurence Perrine years ago.

Customer Reviews:

Perriene's Sound and Sense.......2007-09-24

This book came to me in a short amount of time. It was also in perfect condition. Thanks.

Excellent for use with students.......2005-11-02

I am currently using this book with 11th grade English students, and they have been truly caught up in it. We are actually having arguments in class over poetry!! I do find, however, that it is helpful to do the chapter on rhythm and meter much earlier than I would if I were following the chapters in order. My experience is that students have a difficult time hearing the rhythm of poetry and are generally unable to read aloud with any success. Jumping ahead early to the chapter on rhythm and meter and having the students tap out the meters and then mark the scansion produces a wonderful improvement in their ability to hear the poems and read them aloud. I would heartily recommend this book for use in grades 11 and 12, and for college freshman. It makes the study of poetry hugely enjoyable, as it should be but rarely is, for both student and teacher.

Good AP Textbook.......2004-12-16

My senior AP Literature and Composition class is using this book as a textbook, and I would have to say it is the best high school English book I've ever used. The questions following each included piece really helps you to focus on what is important in the passage, and the introductions to each chapter are brief and to the point.

Almost a great resource (that I'd give 3.5 Stars, actually).......2003-07-11

My first exposure to Sound and Sense was in high school, and, at the time, I found the book so valuable a resource that I later purchased a copy. Post-college, my views have changed somewhat.

If the tone of the writing was not so condescending, this could be a great book. It defines most of the terms necessary to understand critical texts on poetry, including those analyses related to meter, style, and tone. I find the questions after each poem to be helpful and thought-provoking. That said, it is frustrating to me that the author presents ideas and arguments in absolutes (must, must not, never, always, etc.) and then asserts that the logic that MUST be applied to point A CANNOT be applied to point B (but maybe I have spent too many hours working with lawyers).

My suggestion would be to read the text with a grain of salt. Glean the terminology, answer the questions posed at the end of each poem, follow their suggestions of rereading and considering the many facets of poetry, and try to overlook the condescending manner in which the authors display their opinions as fact.

a little at a time.......2003-02-23

I've been nibbling away at a 20 year old edition of this book for a few years in my spare time, and almost every bite has increased my abitity to appreciate poetry. I like the examples, most of them seem pretty old, Frost is about as modern as he gets, but thats ok with me. You might find this book a little annoying if it was required reading in a course, sometimes it asks more questions than it answers.

Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, Ninth Edition

Average customer rating:

Excellent Text
Nice collection of Literature

Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, Ninth Edition
X. J. Kennedy , and Dana Gioia
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0321245512

Book Description

Literature, 9/e, the most popular introduction of its kind, is organized into three genres¤Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. As in past editions, the authors' collective poetic voice brings personal warmth and a human perspective to the discussion of literature, adding to students' interest in the readings. An introduction to a balance of contemporary and classic stories, poems, and plays. Casebooks offer in-depth look at an author or clusters of works, for example “Latin American Poetry. Authors Joe Kennedy and Dana Gioia provide inviting and illuminating introductions to the authors included and to the elements of literature. Coverage of writing about literature is also included. For those interested in literature.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Text.......2007-01-04

I had to pick this up for a college course...it has an excellent sampling of various literature written in different styles and at different time periods.

Whether you want to have a collection of short stories, poetry, drama, etc, this book deserves a place on your shelf.

Thanks, Doc Staley.

Nice collection of Literature.......2005-10-24

I'm using this for a Lit. class. There's a good collection of works here.

Literature and Society: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction (4th Edition)

Average customer rating:

A Quality Text for College-Level Introduction to Literature
Not My Favorite Literature Text

Literature and Society: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction (4th Edition)
Pamela J. Annas , and Robert C. Rosen
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0131534572

Book Description

An enriching introduction to the diverse and exciting world of literature, this anthology offers a broad collection of short fiction, poetry, drama and nonfiction selections written by a diverse group of writers who represent different social classes, races, genders, cultures, and sexual orientations. Organizes selections around five socially relevant themes—Growing Up and Growing Older; Women and Men; Money and Work; Peace and War; and Varieties of Protest. Shows how literary technique serves larger purposes—the recreation of experience, the exploration of ideas, the analysis of social issues—and how these larger purposes themselves shape literary form. Explains the ways in which literary form creates meaning, and provides a strong emphasis on writing about literature throughout, with a full chapter on all stages of the writing process —generating ideas, developing a thesis, discovering a form, drafting, revising, and editing—plus numerous excerpts from sample papers and journals. Now contains 42 new works, with more by Native American and Latino/Latina writers, as well as Bertolt Brecht's play Mother Courage and Shakespeare's Othello; also includes 18 works of nonfiction prose that have been chosen both for their literary technique as well as for their exploration of the five major themes.

Customer Reviews:

A Quality Text for College-Level Introduction to Literature.......2005-03-18

I respectfully disagree with reviewer Jeffrey Leeper; this is a solid text for a college-level introductory course in literature. The selections assume an intelligent reader, which covers most of my students.

I specifically chose this text because I wanted to approach the course from a societal perspective, and I was impressed by the editors'/authors' arrangement: "Growing Up and Growing Older," "Women and Men," "Money and Work," "Peace and War," and "Varieties of Protest." Sometimes, I switch works into other categories, for example, Sylvia Plath's poetry and play THREE WOMEN from "Growing Up and Growing Older" to "Varieties of Protest." But that's a matter of personal preference.

Mr. Leeper is probably correct that a professor may not want to use this particular text for an introductory literature course emphasizing a standard approach or for a writing about literature course. But, certainly, for a higher-level thematic course, such as Literature and Society, this text would no doubt offer an excellent choice.

I like the variety of works; this text could easily cover one or even two semesters of literature, covering not only fiction and poetry thoroughly, but also drama, including known and lesser known playwrights: William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Lorraine Hansberry, Susan Glaspell and Alice Childress, among others. I would like to see more in-depth creative nonfiction, but, for now, I supplement the text with an inexpensive trade edition of HIROSHIMA. In later editions, the editors might consider adding some longer current and classic creative nonfiction selections, such as memoirs, journalistic features, and biography.

I have only one quibble: cost. I teach at a medium-sized, four-year college in Pennsylvania; most of our students come from blue collar families who struggle to pay for books and supplies, and I like to assign inexpensive books that won't break their budgets.

In this case, however, quality wins out over price, and I can only hope that my students feel that they're getting their money's worth.

Not My Favorite Literature Text.......2002-05-26

If you are looking for a literature textbook for a survey course, then this book is not for you. It is designed for students, but it is also designed to illustrate literature's place in our society.

The beginning goes into the writing process and writing about literature. There is an example of writing on poetry, but it is only two paragraph's worth. Most students would like to see the whole essay.

The bulk of the book is arranged in topics, which have subtopics of fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction. The topics, "Growing up and Growing Older," "Women and Men," "Money and Work," "Peace and War," and "Varieties of Protest," give you a wide variety of selections to illustrate the idea. Unless you plan on structuring your course this way, this isn't the easiest text to navigate a class through.

The end of the book has a section devoted to each of the subtopics: fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction. Here, strategies and elements of each of these subtopics are illustrated here. The examples used here refer to selections from the text, which allows the student to refer back. This is a good touch.

Book Description

This is the first introduction to rhythm and meter that begins where students are: as speakers of English familiar with the rhythms of the spoken word, nursery rhymes, song and rap. Poetic Rhythm builds on this knowledge and experience, moving from basic questions about the rhythms of spoken English to the elaborate achievements of past and present poets. Terminology is straightforward and there are frequent practical exercises. Poetic Rhythm will help readers of English poetry experience and enjoy its power, subtlety and diversity, and will serve as an invaluable tool for those who write or discuss poetry in English.

Customer Reviews:

Poetic Rhythm: an Introduction.......2000-08-15

Derek Attridge radically changed my thinking about poetry and prosody. I have been reading, writing and teaching poetry for many decades and have always felt intuitively that the ideas expressed in this book were correct though unfortunately I lacked the vocabulary to describe them. Speaking as both poet and teacher, I found this book a liberation. Anyone interested in the art of poetry should inhale this book.

A very informative book on rhythm.......1999-04-06

This book starts at the dirt basics of poetic rhythm and scansion and works its way up. It tells about the nitty-gritty in different kinds of meters, and it's helpful for learning what to use rhythm for in poetry (heightened language, etc).

This is the single best book on reading poetry I have found........1999-03-11

Attridge is a careful and helpful reader of English poetry. This book, one of several he has written on the subject, is both elementary and profound. The field is fraught with difficulties and ambiguities, but Attridge sensibly avoids the silly stuff. He provides a helpful summary with each chapter, and numerous exercises that are both instructive and enjoyable. This is the kind of book one feels ought to mark a turning point in the study of prosody. If others may be persuaded to adopt his system of scansion, the field will be enormously rejuvenated. Having read it, one returns to earlier work by Fussell, Gross, Hartman and others wishing they might revise their books accordingly. In any case, the book is spirited, wide-ranging, and important.

If you love poetry, you MUST own this book!!.......1998-03-19

This is absolutely the best book on poetic rhythm I have ever read. You must posess this book if you are, as I am, a student of poetry who wishes to get a feel for how rhythm actually works in English verse. Attridge makes it clear from the start that if you speak English, then you have all the tools you need to understand how rhythm works because you already use those tools whenever you speak. Through numerous examples and exercises you will learn to focus on what you natually do when you read a poem and how it affects the way you understand it. You will find (as I did) that Attridge's distinction between stress verse and sylable stress verse clears up a lot of confusion. There's even a chapter on the rudiments of phrasal anaylsis that will, in my opnion, have you thinking like an expert in no time. I've read the book twice in three weeks I enjoyed it so much. Get the book!

Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology

Average customer rating:

As good as a poetry textbook could be
WONDERFUL BOOK!

Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology
Helen Vendler
Manufacturer: Bedford/St. Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0312257066

Customer Reviews:

As good as a poetry textbook could be.......2007-05-06

There may be something ominous to potential, non-student readers in the fact that this is a "textbook". What a bizarre thing! "Text" book. How is it different from a book? Well, it's a form of book that is meant to be taken very, very seriously because it is "required reading" for a required course and because it will help the worthy achieve mightily in the "standardized testing" they will have to take to prove themselves. Like most books, a "text" book has words in it, i.e. a text. We assumed that. The tautologous term "text" seems to have been added by some utterly pretentious, youth- despising pedant who wanted to quell and trample upon whatever inner happiness a kid may have felt at the propect of learning something new. A textbook about poetry is perhaps an oxymoron. Is there a standardized test for stirring of the soul or the soaring heart?

This is an excellent "book" book on poetry and art in general. In fact, it's one of my favorite books, and I've read alot. As soon as I finished it, I started at the beginning again. Except for the proposed questions for discussion or homework, there are very few "textbook" concessions. There is no talking down. It is intelligent and honest from beginning to end. In fact, having known many college age students in recent years nearly all of whom had the attention spans of mosquitoes, I wondered how far any would get in this book. It's too intelligent to serve as a modern textbook really.

But for people who love poetry, have hope invested in poetry, it's great. If you want to understand the basic elements of poetry, how it works, what it does that is diffeent from other arts, there can be no finer work.

Just as Browning read Johnson's Dictionary in preparation for a career as a poet, so I would imagine young poets and poetry lovers will in future read Professor Vendler.

Helen Vendler has an extraordinary ability to see clearly the basis of a poem, working back through the words, rhythms, intonations,and references to the pre-verbal experience the poet had that required expression. She has an intuitive intelligence that is oddly contagious. Sensing her remarkable ability to listen, one's own power to listen is enhanced: I too can puzzle back to the heart of this song and this experience. Our personal experience has a deep commonality. In other words, you can, after a while, learn the art of "close reading". It's a how-to book. And it's quite exciting, in a way, like suddenly being able to ride a bike on your own.

Finally, of course, it is a book about life. Poetry only exists as a communicative tool for interpreting the raw material, precious raw material, of life. One says Well, I'm alive so what do I need it for? Well, because we're not alive, we're semi-alive, brutally familiar with a very small part of life. So this being a book about great poetry addresses the great questions of life itself.

WONDERFUL BOOK!.......2007-02-25

A few quick notes: HV has put together a superb anthology/teaching tool here. She's learned and yet accessible. Includes classics and new poems.
Also includes margin notes defining odd words used by Keats and others.
Full of definitions and examples for poetry terms.
Comprehensive and insightful!!! Great fun to browse through or to
deeply study.

Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (10th Edition) (Kennedy/Gioia Literature Series)

Average customer rating:

Surprsingly Wonderful!

Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (10th Edition) (Kennedy/Gioia Literature Series)
X. J. Kennedy , and Dana Gioia
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0321428498

Book Description

The most popular introductory anthology of its kind, Kennedy/Gioia’s Literature continues to inspire students with engaging insights on reading and writing about stories, poems, and plays. Poets in their own right, editors X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia bring personal warmth and a human perspective to this comprehensive anthology. Organized into three genresâLiterature, Tenth Edition, presents readable discussions of the literary devices, illustrated by apt works, supported by useful writing tips, and followed by (now) seven full chapters devoted to writing. A broad scope of traditional and contemporary works is provided, most headed by author images and richly detailed biographical notes and some followed by author commentary. While maintaining the characteristics of its previous editions–accessible apparatus, expansive author representation–this tenth edition of Literature has been re-imagined to include new casebooks, a lively new design, and more writing coverage than ever before. New students of literature.

Customer Reviews:

Surprsingly Wonderful!.......2007-09-28

I picked this book up for a class, expecting to be perfectly bored. Instead, this book woke up my sleeping love of learning and literature. The book is easy to understand and contains MANY great stories and poems in it. It also has a great glossary and index was well. It came with an additional feature, MyLiteratureLab, which is an accompanying web page. That is also very helpful indeed.
This book is so good, there were even people at work wanting to check it out!

The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction (Penguin Classics)

Average customer rating:

It was horrible.
Yet another Gilgamesh.
the beggining
Outstanding presentation of a world treasure
The origins of civilization

The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction (Penguin Classics)
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 014044100X

Amazon.com

This edition provides a prose rendering of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the cycle of poems preserved on clay tablets surviving from ancient Mesopotamia of the third mi llennium B.C. One of the best and most important pieces of epic poetry from human history, predating even Homer's Iliad by roughly 1,500 years, the Gilgamesh epic tells of the various adventures of that hero-king, including his quest for immortality, and an account of a great flood similar in many details to the Old Testament's story of Noah. The translator also provides an interesting and useful introduction explaining much about the historical context of the poem and the archeological discovery of th e tablets.

Customer Reviews:

It was horrible........2007-08-07

I had to read it for a summer reading book. It was horrible. I mean, who wants to read all about the Ancient Sumarians?

Yet another Gilgamesh........2007-07-24

I was reading these thirty-some reviews of The Epic of Gilgamesh, starting the old Sanders one in prose, which isn't half bad. Almost none of translations and/or reditions (translation made from other translations, rather than from the original Akkadian in cuneiform alphabet)...none are really bad, but you certainly can get different slants on the story, and twisted episodes, and missed tone, and so on.
The scholarly translations by Assyriologists (A.George, Foster, Kovacs, Dalley, and so on) are usually too scholarly, and interrupt the read with all the problems that still abound. (Almost a third of the epic is still missing, for example.) The renditions, poets and wanna-be's like Jackson and Ferry, tend to wander off into their own thing; John Gardner (Grendel) included: he's sexy, but he ain't Sin-leqi-unnini (the supposed 'Homer' of the version found in an ancient library in 600 BC). Stephen Mitchell, a great Rilke translator, doesn't let on that he doesn't really read the Akkadian, so that's a rendition without your knowing whose versions he worked from. There's a lot of fudging going on in the Gilgamesh racket. It's a whole sub-story to the epic itself, and almost as much fun.

But if you wanted to get as close to the original text as possible, dig up the 1948 translation by Alexander Heidel (whose text seems sympathetically ancient: the book's typeface makes it look like a dissertation from that era, font by Underwood). But Heidel is closest to what the original sounds like: The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parellels: "A translation and interpretation of the Gilgamesh Epic and related Babylonian and Assyrian documents."
But really everyone named above, and maybe three times that many in print today, all take it beyond Heidel's crude (albeit with an ancient beauty, almost like an artifact) level, but I think they all err, in going too far, or not far enough, or getting too far from the original, or just keeping a good read going. The politics of getting to the original tablets, by the bye, and the technology of reading the ancient clay fragments covered in cuneiform script three to four thousand years old, is a worthwhile epic in itself. There are 'Gilgamesh wars' out there that you'll never hear about, having to do with careers, withheld translations, transcriptions, etc. And why not, the stakes aren't really that small: this is the very first of work of literature, predating Homer by a thousand years and much longer if you look at earlier versions, the Old Babylonian and the Sumerian mess. Why indeed not lock in the 'definitive translation'?

But enough of human ambition; one final suggestion: if you want to read a version that stays quite close to the original, whatever that is/was, but brings the sensory dimension up to modern taste, and teases out a good deal of the humor that's arguably in the original but which most translations miss, then I'm pleased to inform you that there is yet one more Gilgamesh cropping up in of all places, at Lulu dot com, as a graphic novel. The cartoonist has added his own humor--it feels like/looks like it's for 14 year olds some of the time--but he's also brought out the intrinsic humor of the original, has certainly rendered the scenes vividly, keeps his own contribution distinct from 'the original', and the text for the pure epic reads as well as the best ones above and keeps the reader forefront, not the scholarship. Check it out at Lulu.

Qualifier: It's not finished, but two out of three installments are there, through about Tablet IX (a total of 12), where Enkidu falls sick and then Gilgamesh sets out bereft and alone on his quest for immortality, learning lots of secrets as he goes, including that of the story of the Flood. This is Noah's arc, but written down some one to two millenium before Genesis. When one George Smith first cracked the code, in the 1872, there were riots. It was Darwin all over again, to the literalists of faith, of which there were then as now, many.
A neat new book (2006) on all that is out, listed here in amazon: David Damrosch's The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh.

Back to the graphic version:
A comic book reviewer, former editor at DC Comics, one 'Occasional Superheroine,' begins a pretty favorable revew with something like: Ancient Sumeria meets Krum... This is about right: the epic bleeds through in all its strength and Sumerian-Babylonian wonder and feeling, and the cartoons provide a tongue-in-cheek commentary that's much more sophisticated than it at first appears, with its Ally-Oop hero and his hirsute side-kick. The Bull of Heaven, the giant monster Humbaba, Shamhat and Enkidu out there on the steppes unchaperoned, spoiled little vindictive Ishtar... it's really worth a gander.
Curious note: the artist and writer seem to be brothers, or a father-son team. And in the interest of Full Disclosure, one of them's me!
Occasional Superheroine recommends it; so do I.
~"Sam"

the beggining.......2007-02-13

Almost five thousand years ago. It is unthinkable. To comprehend that ancient time, one would need knowledge and power of imagination that would be no easy to measure or value. Even than, one couldn't possibly be any nearer that time. It is shrouded in mystery.

Origins of entire history of literature, of written words/worlds, emerge from these tablets. And here we find first (written) quest for immortality. And tragedy which is found in fact that that quest cannot ever be successful. That man is forever compelled to roam that vast universe of his, and to raise his voice in vain, constantly fighting for something that is as far away as things can be.

Gilgamesh is a real beaut. Of it's style, importnace, structure numerous books have been written. But those are reserved for scholars and for those of you out there who are burning with desire to know. Gilgamesh greatness lies in a simple fact. It lies in realising that it doesn't matter how far have we gone in comprehending world around us, or how much we advanced technologically. However far we may have traveled, when facing this book, we learned that we are still troubled, and still defined by the same troubles heroes of old had been. What does that teach us? You'll have to answer that one for yourself.

Of this translation I don't know nothing. I haven't actually read it. My comment concernes Gilgames corpus itself. Sorry 'bout that :)

Outstanding presentation of a world treasure.......2006-10-21

N. K. Sandars' presentation of Gilgamesh is an outstanding achievement of editing, interpretation, and paraphrase. "Paraphrase" rather than translation, because she admits that she is unable to read the cuneiform in which the epic was written over four thousand years ago; instead she's compared all the literal scholarly editions available and turned them into very readable and moving English prose. This was easily the finest version for the nonspecialist reader when it was published in 1960, and to my mind it remains unsurpassed.

Readers primarily interested in the cultural background of Gilgamesh will want to look at more recent scholarship, but for the rest of us Sandars's rendition of the text is as powerfully engaging as when it first appeared.

Though tyhe original Gilgamesh is a verse epic, and Sandars writes prose, readers looking for the intensity of poetry will find it here, in what's really a splendid "prose poem." In fact, Sandars's prose strikes me as more, not less, satisfying than David Ferry's currently popular verse translation, which is competent but, to my mind, rather lackluster.

Although Penguin has issued a newer translation in verse by Andrew George, I hope they keep N. K. Sandars's version in print. It's brilliantly done.

The origins of civilization.......2006-07-14

This poem is perhaps the oldest "book" known so far. It is supposed to have been first conceived by the end of the Third Millenium B.C. It tells, in a direct and somewhat naive way, the adventures of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, in Mesopotamia. In the beginning we are told of how Gilgamesh got to be king, and how he felt lonely, since he lacked a friend worthy of him. The gods listen to him, and tell him to send a whore to seduce Enkidu, a savage man who lives with the beasts and behaves as such. He is the "good savage", totally in a natural state and without a civilizatory stain. It is chilling to think of this particular story as an ancient memory of our life in pre-civilization times. The prostitute manages to seduce him (any resemblance to Adam and Eve is granted), and then the beasts reject him. He has become fully human. This passage is a wonderful metaphore of the civilizatory process which we humans experienced in immemorial ages. Enkidu has to learn to drink milk from a jar and not directly from the breasts of animals. He has to learn to wear clothes, drink wine and sleep on a bed.

Enkidu fights Gilgamesh, showing him his strength and courage, which makes him the inseparable friend. After that, Gilgamesh feels the urgency to leave his legacy in this world before his inevitable death, another humanizing feature, since the individual already shows a full conscience of his mortality and of himself, and thinks of the future. So, both friends depart for the Woods, presumably current Lebanon (the Cedar Forest), where Ancient Mesopotamians got their timber, so scarce in their country. To conquer the Woods, they must kill the giant Humbaba, guardian of the forest, incarnation of Evil and presumably the first reference to the Devil in literature. In doing so they infuriate all the gods except one, and one of them must die. This is how Enkidu gets sick and dies after an excruciating agony. This fact turns out to be devastating for Gilgamesh, because it confirms the inevitability of his own demise. Ravaged by his friend's death, Gilgamesh sets out on a journey to try and find a way to escape from mortality. He travels to the East, beyond the mountains, to the Country of Sun, to try to cross the Sea and reach the land of Dilmun (kind of a preserved Garden of Eden), where Utnapishtim lives, the only human to have survived the Flood (it raises your hair to see a reference to this cataclism, centuries before the Bible), and consequently granted immortality by the gods. Gilgamesh reaches the "garden by the sea" where a young female vineyard tender lives. She tells him frankly that he will never find what he's looking for, since Death is unavoidable. It is humans' Fate, but to humans it has also been granted the possibility of happiness, and so the girl advises him to "fill your belly with good things... have fun and rejoice. Wear clean clothes, bathe in fresh water, caress yout little cildren and embrace and make your woman happy", for that is also the Fate of Man. Gilgamesh can't give up and convinces the oarsman to take him to Dilmun. Utnapishtim, puzzled, receives him and tells him he'll live forever if he stays awake six days and seven nights. Of course he can't make it, and when he wakes up Utnapishtim tells him the story of the Flood, suprisingly and suspiciously similar to that told later in the hebrew Genesis (let's not forget the long years of Hebrew exile in Babilonia). Gilgamesh makes a final effort, ripping from the bottom of the sea the "plant that gives you your youth back" but later, while bathing in a well, a snake steals the plant, changes skin and leaves. Unconsoled, Gilgamesh returns to Uruk and dies.

It is difficult to exaggerate the historical and literary importance of this work, since in its brief span it collects all that makes us human: civilization, glory, the conscience of Death. It also gathers primeval memories, the process of going out of the African plains and building cities, the search for supplies and the fear of the beasts of the forests. The tale of the Flood confirms for us the memory of cosmic catastrophes which since the remote past left an indelible mark upon us. Indispensable reading.

The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts 2 Volumes

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The REAL Gilgamesh Epic

The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts 2 Volumes
A. R. George
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh

ASIN: 0198149220

Book Description

The Babylonian Gilgamesh epic is the acknowledged masterpiece of ancient Mesopotamian literature. Nevertheless it has to be re-edited periodically to take account of the enormous increase in primary sources that occurs every generation. Since the last critical edition of the epic seventy years ago the known fragments of the epic have almost doubled. This book collects all the extant texts in one place again, including twenty-three fragments published for the first time. The author has studied personally every available fragment to produce a definitive edition and translation. Four introductory chapters place the epic in its context and examine the name, person and traditions of Gilgamesh and other characters in the poem. The plates present the cuneiform text of all the extant fragments of the epic. The result is a publication which is a standard academic resource.

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The REAL Gilgamesh Epic.......2007-01-03

The best edition available. Not cheap, but worth the
price for those interested in the original.

Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama: Interactive Edition (Kennedy/Gioia Literature Series)

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Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama: Interactive Edition (Kennedy/Gioia Literature Series)
X. J. Kennedy , and Dana Gioia
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0321428501

Book Description

The most popular introductory anthology of its kind, Kennedy/Gioia’s Literature continues to inspire students with engaging insights on reading and writing about stories, poems, and plays.

Poets in their own right, editors X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia bring personal warmth and a human perspective to this comprehensive anthology. Organized into three genres–Literature, Tenth Edition, presents readable discussions of the literary devices, illustrated by apt works, supported by useful writing tips, and followed by (now) seven full chapters devoted to writing. A broad scope of traditional and contemporary works is provided, most headed by author images and richly detailed biographical notes and some followed by author commentary. While maintaining the characteristics of its previous editionsâaccessible apparatus, expansive author representationâthis tenth edition of Literature has been re-imagined to include new casebooks, a lively new design, and more writing coverage than ever before.

New students of literature.

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