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Brainworm posted:As a rule: Satan makes PL readable, since he's the only character with any interior and, frankly, any fathomable motivations. Everyone says that a familiarity with the Bible is a vital component to anyone interested in Western literature if for no other reason than because of the dramatic influence that text has had on all literature produced in the past two millenia. As an atheist, I can't read the Bible or any commentaries on the Biblical text without throwing my hands up in frustration. It's like reading every entry in the Star Trek wikipedia, except even less interesting. It all seems so stupid and pointless. What do you recommend to anyone who hates the Bible but wants to gain a greater appreciation of literature?
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May 11, 2009 00:03
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Naet posted:makes you sound as ridiculous as the religious nut jobs who want to burn every copy of Harry Potter and Twilight. There's more to the Bible than preachy nonsense and 30 page lineages (although there is a lot of that, too). 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. halesuhtem posted:Can you tolerate reading The Iliad? ... Just treat it like a mythology The question that keeps breaking my suspension of disbelief with the Bible is "Why?" There's never a satisfying answer. Please understand also that my difficulty with the Bible is not due solely to blind atheism and dislike of the subject. The only thing I want out of this book is to get an understanding of the influences it has had on better books by better authors about better characters and better subjects. The problem is that I can read the entire story of David and have gained no greater appreciation for any of the books I've ever read for having read the David story. I can be disgusted that two billion people think a murdering adulterous rapist is an example of a good ruler, but I can't perceive how it has influenced any literary works, and that's what I am after. I'm looking for recommendations of guides or advice on how to figure out how the story of the resurrection of Christ influenced the Great Gatsby. Or whatever.
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May 11, 2009 10:11
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