What does Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit mean from the movie Lonesome Dove?

Answer 1

my interpretation is that it is about Augustus' impact on all the others. One man's love affecting so many others and ripening them. The fact that the saying becomes his epitath over his grave is an obvious directional as to the meaning. After all, isn't this movie truly about Gus and his impact on everyone he comes into contact with.

Answer 2

I have read that Larry McMurty purposely used incorrect Latin because of his characters(Gus wrote the phrase on the sign). The scrambled meaning of the phrase translates to a "grape changes color [i.e., ripens] when it sees [another] grape." This would explain why Gus says "you ride with an outlaw you die with an outlaw" when they catch Jake with the horse thieves, meaning that you show your true colors in the presence of others. From what I have read, it means something along the lines of "one vine becomes the whole vine" or "one grape causes the others to ripen". In essence, I believe that McMurtry was trying to convey the legacy of Gus and Call and the importance of friendship and companionship. From what I have read, it means something along the lines of "one vine becomes the whole vine" or "one grape causes the others to ripen". In essence, I believe that McMurtry was trying to convey the legacy of Gus and Call and the importance of friendship and companionship. ANOTHER VIEW The sign for the Gus and Call's Hat Creek Cattle Company includes the Latin motto "Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit" which appears to be a reference to a proveb ("Uva Uvam Videndo Varia Fit") first attributed Juvenal. Juvenal's proverb is translated as "A grape (uva) other grapes (uvam) seeing (videndo) changes (varia fit)." Some readers think McMurty's substitution of "vivendo" for "videndo" is an artifice McMurty used to underscore Gus's lack of education and unfamiliarity with Latin. That seems unlikely. When Call asks Gus about the motto, Gus jumbles it comically and does not even pretend to know what it means. Having established that, McMurty gained nothing by adding a spelling error that only Latin scholars would catch. Likewise, it seems unlikely - as other readers have suggested - that the substitution was simply a typographical error. Although the substitution is ungrammatical, "vivendo" means "living" so the effect is that the motto is changed from "A grape changes when it sees other grapes" to "A grape is changed by living with other grapes" or, since we are not really concerned with grapes after all, "We are changed by the lives around us." ELABORATION: They were settled in in Lonesome Dove and had an environment they were comfortable in and that they understood. Capt. Call wanted to see Montana and in doing so changed all of the lives around him. One ripple in time changed all their lives. Lonesome Dove as Tragedy It's difficult to know what a writer is thinking, regardless of how "obvious" their meaning seems to be. There is a number of plausible explanations for the novel's title, but McMurtry's -- that it refers to Newt! -- seems wayward, if not downright perverse. Because Lonesome Dove is such a beloved work, people overlook the fact that it's an extremely unhappy story. (McMurtry even said that he didn't understand why such a depressing novel was so popular.) Almost every character has their life lost, destroyed, or "merely" badly damaged (Newt being the obvious exception), simply because they went on an unnecessary journey. Xavier Wantz's grisly, gratuitous suicide is typical of McMurtry's delight in torturing his characters (both physically and psychologically). However pompous it might sound, I think of Lonesome Dove as "The Wizard of OZ meets Das Lied von der Erde". It therefore seems reasonable that this (mis-)quote is consciously meant ironically. The very thing that does not happen is that (with the exception of Newt), there is no "ripening". People are no different -- no "riper" -- at the end of the story than they were at the beginning, either because of other peoples' examples (videndo) or simply their passage through life (vivendo). No one changes, no one matures.

Answer 3

The Latin phrase that appears on the Hat Creek Cattle Company sign in "Lonesome Dove" is a garbled corruption, and there's no direct translation. It derives from the scholia to Juvenal 2.81 which cites the proverb "uva uvam videndo varia fit" This means something like "a grape changes color [i.e., ripens] when it sees [another] grape" Novelist Larry McMurtry probably intentionally misused the Latin, perhaps to make a point about Augustus McCrae's tenuous understanding of the language. From there, any number of interpretations have arisen to explain why McMurtry chose to communicate that particular idea. Probably the soundest theory is that the phrase serves as a metaphor for the group's journey, as many of the story's characters go through a process of personal maturation and development. Much like grapes ripen in the presence of others.

Answer 4

there is no right or wrong here but from my studies of the book and movie themselves here goes"(grape)vines,that are even very different from each other such as grape vines and poison ivy vines will eventually find a way to reach each other and grow together.this pretty well explains most of gus and calls life together,and not just certain parts of the book/movie.again,no wrong answers here unless it is my own.many thanks!

Answer 5

Life is what you make it

Answer 6

Ghjhtff

Answer 7

Don’t know

Answer 8

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