 Lysistrata, by Aristophanes (translated by Douglass Parker).
Humor is difficult to translate, from another language or another era. Fortunately, this play is about the funniest possible subject: sex. The women of Athens are fed up with their men for being constantly away at war. Lysistrata gathers the Athenian women, plus a few from nearby cities, with a radical proposal: a sex strike until the men cease their warring ways. The battle of the sexes is on: the women shamelessly tease and tempt the men, then leave them frustrated with nothing but...er...what's at hand, as one of the characters puts it. Some things, like the sight of the men trying to hide their condition with their cloaks, need no explaining in any century. Others required some notes from translator Douglass Parker. For instance, Athenians viewed Spartans as crude and uneducated, so Parker gave the Spartan character a "country bumpkin" accent. Occasionally I spot a woman on social media suggesting that modern women should attempt a similar sex strike for peace. Aristophanes himself pointed out the problem with this: women like sex too! Lysistrata has her hands full stopping the other women from sneaking off for secret trysts with their husbands. But she keeps her troops in line, and like every good sex farce, this story has a happy ending. Popsugar Reading Challenge: About a celibate marriage. 52 Book Club Challenge: Set in an ancient civilization. Booklist Queen Challenge: A classic you haven't read yet.
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