I'll add my voice to those defending the posting. I'm a medievalist,
working on a PhD at the University of Leeds, and my Latin is
serviceable, but hardly fluent. I can get by, but I often need help. I
didn't understand that poem at all, frankly.
Latin is a difficult language, and it takes a special dedication to
master it. No doubt that is a worthwhile endeavor, but some of us are
quite busy with other things as well, and can't devote lots of time
to language study, worthy though that goal is.
This is actually a very "light" list. PLEASE, let's not sink into the
dry, self-consciously scholarly attitude that seems to pervade so
much academic discussion. If that happens here, I'm leaving!
Heck, if you want fun, you should check out the early music list.
Loads of top scholars and performers contribute on all aspects of
music from medieval to Baroque, and yet we still find time for puns,
jokes, and the now-infamous recurring thread of limericks on various
early music topics, written by different contributors in varying
degrees of rudeness! Educational and great fun.
In short, let's be educational, but let's not take ourselves too
seriously.
Tim Rayborn
Dept. of Theology and Religious Studies
University of Leeds
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