|
Keshik posted:It's not that that really is my problem. It's that it's just not interesting. The central characters are prophets or the deity himself, and the deity is omnipotent - moreover, he's pretty evil. I've never read Milton (largely because I'd like to gain a better understanding of the original text first) but based solely on what I've gleaned from derivative works over the years, the idea of Satan being the protagonist of the story resonates with me. The Judeo Christian god is, to my mind, one of the great villains of literature, and I simply have trouble proceeding through a text devoted to that character when that text is not an apologetic. I've even read (some of) Aquinas and Augustine (who are dumb as poo poo), and cannot bring myself around to the idea of accepting the premise that the Judeo Christian god is a good guy. He's a bad guy, he's more malevolent and fickle than any of the Greek gods. I'm not a professor, just an undergrad who took a class on Milton, but I'd just like to say that while Satan is really sympathetic and God really inscrutable and seemingly unfair, reducing Paradise Lost down to Satan = Good Guy and God = Bad Guy is a really simplistic reading, and one that's discounted by most contemporary critics. That said, it's entirely possible to read it like that. Also, I'm a pretty irreligious guy too, but I think you're doing yourself a disservice by dismissing all Christian literature and philosophy with a simple mantra of "God is mean" Also OP, I really like the thread, and wish I knew more about either Miltonic and Shakepearean scholarship to ask about. One question: To me personally, the violence and sexism in Samson Agonistes seemed really transgressive compared to the portrayal of marriage and ambivalence towards war depicted in Paradise Lost. Your thoughts? Also, could you make any recommendations regarding books that came out in the last couple of years?
|
#
¿
May 11, 2009 19:50
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 20:54 |
|
|
Do you have any major gaps in your reading that are embarrassing considering your profession? A student magazine asked a few of my professors this question and the answers were pretty funny (the head of the Philosophy department admitted that he had just read Plato's Republic only a few years ago)
|
|
#
¿
Aug 12, 2009 01:01
|
|
|
What are your opinions on slam poetry?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 26, 2009 03:00
|
|
|
Would just like to say that not only is your blog post on revenge tragedies really interesting and perceptive but Rolling Vengeance looks awesome and I'm going to try to track down a copy.
Danny Cadaver fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Aug 31, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Aug 31, 2009 19:43
|
|