Biblical and Classical Lit

Final Paper

2005-12-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

During the course of English 212 I did not learn anything new because, according to Classical Greek tradition, I already knew everything. And, of course, my paper is entirely plagiarized because as Frye believes “everyone is a plagiarist.” Even the Bible, itself, recognizes that “there is nothing new under the sun.” But thanks to this course, I was able to remember a lot of ideas which I had forgotten, as unoriginal as they may be. I now recalled that I should not take everything I read in the Bible literally, especially when it deals with events of catastrophic proportions. I also remembered how to distinguish between the classical and biblical traditions by using the relationships of God and man, and the idea of suffering. Above all, it came to mind this semester why all of this is, and will continue to be important.
Not having a religious background has made it very easy for me to forget that the Bible should be thought of, not as a historically accurate account of the past, but rather a metaphorical teaching, open for interpretation. Frye remarks on the “absurdity of assuming that in the Bible…the literal (descriptive) meaning must be fundamental… There is no continuous or fully developed descriptive level of meaning in the Bible, and the Bible would be a grotesque anomaly if there were” (page 5-6). This helps me drastically in understanding certain religions, which up to this point, I had incredibly little exposure to. The importance the Bible holds to these religions is not due to exact facts, but to the ideas it presents. The stories are teachings of logic, and relate to their readers an ideological way of life. They present examples through metaphor, which as Frye states “change the way we see things.” Thanks to this understanding, I am able to better recognize the goals of the Bible and avoid frequent predictions that the world is coming to an end.
In the biblical tradition the relationship between man and God, from my understanding, is one of submission and repentance. God is to be feared and at the same time, exclusively worshiped. Biblical “dike” is determined by man’s compliance to these terms. He suffers because he has done something wrong. The example often used in class is that of Job. He suffers immensely and then dares to question God. After being faced with God, Job proclaims “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42.4-42.6). Job repents because God’s word is absolute in the biblical tradition. The is no place to question biblical “dike.”
In the classical tradition the relationship between man and the gods is much more imprecise. As Calasso lies out, this relationship goes through three stages: conviviality, rape, and indifference. Humans do not feel a necessity to repent to the classical gods because the gods are providing the examples by which humans live. Contrary to Job and the Bible, the gods of classical tradition were not necessarily unquestionable. At times even the gods themselves, such as Prometheus, Apollo, and Dionysus, would take the side of men. Calasso states that these gods “provoke that back-and-forth in men, that desire to go beyond oneself” (page 59). There was an understanding and recognition between man and the gods, where submission is a result of force, not guilt. The “dike” of classical tradition is the source of inevitable suffering. The gods provoke the actions of men, which may either lead to the destruction of themselves or someone else. It is in the indifference stage that the relationship begins to become even more indistinct. Man recognizes that he may exist without constant association with the gods, and begins to accept what he has been given. At this point, Calasso suggests that man has come to the conclusion that “Existence was beyond salvation. Life: something incurable, to be accepted for what it was, in all its malice and splendor” (page 273). The “dike” of the classical tradition is based on a more mutual relationship, where repentance is not always the result.
But why do these things matter in an era dominated by neither the biblical or classical traditions? It is the same reason we are all plagiarist. These stories, whether biblical or classical, provide truths of human nature; we are all plagiarist because we are simply reenacting their content. The Bible is not a historical representation, but a model of life. Literal messages in the Bible pertain to man’s relationship with God. Do not question God and worship him exclusively are direct messages, the stories themselves are meant to teach, but not be taken literally. And as wild and unpredictable as the classical tradition may be, its stories are continually repeated throughout history. They are important because they are universal. People relate to the mythological characters through their triumphs and their suffering. The stories of the biblical and classical traditions may seem distant from modern life, but they are constantly present. “All life is displaced myth.”
Even though I did not learn anything new, I remembered a lot of very important aspects of biblical and classical literature. For example, the Bible is not meant to be taken literally or the world would have ended many times by now. But the most significant thing I realized is the importance of all this. Frye states that “the function of literature as an illustration of ideology is inescapable” (page 36-37). The biblical and classical traditions are general outlines of all life and their importance is inevitable.

Ziggurats

2005-12-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

Mesopotamian Ziggurat at Ur, c. 2100 B.C.
http://www.crystalinks.com/ziggurat.html

I meant to do this entry a while ago but I kept forgetting about it. It is another Art History one, dealing with ancient Ziggurats. Ziggurats are large structures, usually made of either mudbrick or stone, which acted as platforms for smaller temples. Both Calasso and Frye mention them in our readings. As I learned in Art History, the elevated temple was a means of connecting humans to heaven. The people would watch their king ascend the ziggurat, when in the temple he would take part in an act of “royal copulation” with a temple prostitute (a temple prostitute being a woman who signifies holiness as Dr. Sexson mentioned in class). Worshipers believed that a deity would descend from heaven and copulate with the royal leader through the temple prostitute. Frye states in his mountain chapter that “The earth we live on seems connected with the sky by mountains, and it is clear that such temples or towers are symbolic mountains” (154). These structures are man’s attempt to be connected, or closer to heaven.

Group Presentations

2005-12-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to quickly comment on the group presentations. I must say that I am continually impressed by all the groups’ creativity. Every group is extremely original and, of course, entertaining and informative. Good job everyone! I also wanted to thank Emily and Mick for having such great e-journal sites all semester, they helped me greatly in studing for our exams.

Bob Dylan

2005-12-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

Someone commented on Bob Dylan having biblical references in his songs on Wednesday during presentations and I just wanted to comment on how very true that is. Bob Dylan is one of my favorite musicians and I believe that almost every song by him has at least a brief reference to the Bible (which I am now much better at recognizing after taking this class). His songs include many direct references, brief illusions, and displacements of biblical issues. In his song “Things Have Changed” he states that “If the bible is right, the world will explode.” This, of course, is a reference to taking the Bible literally. In “Shelter from the Storm” Dylan symbolizes biblical hospitality and directly mentions God and a “crown of thorns.” “Highway 61 Revisited” narrates the story of Abraham and Isaac. “Oh God said to Abraham, ‘Kill me a son,’ Abe says, ‘Man, you must be puttin' me on,’ God say, ‘No.’ Abe say, ‘What?’ God say, ‘You can do what you want Abe, but the next time you see me comin' you better run,’ Well Abe says, ‘Where do you want this killin' done?’ God says, ‘Out on Highway 61.’” One final example (though there are many more) is the song “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” where Dylan remarks on people exploiting the Bible, stating that “not much is really sacred.” These are just a few of the Biblical references that I have noticed in Bob Dylan’s songs, but there are a lot more. If anyone is interested in this there is actually a book out called “Tangled Up in the Bible” by Michael Gilmour, which is a study of Bob Dylan’s biblical references.

Frye's Demonic Time

2005-12-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

I was really interested in Frye’s concepts of time, and especially “demonic time.” He describes it as “pure duration and power of annihilation,” where there is “only repetition of the same thing, or the same kind of thing.” It reminded me of Christopher Marlowe and John Milton which I just read in my British Literature class. Frye directly references Milton in “Words with Power,” but he does not reference Marlowe. I think that both of these authors must have influence Frye with the formulation of his demonic time concept. In Milton’s Paradise Lost, he states that “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” Hell is something created in your own conscious mind and it is a matter of what you make of it. Time drones on when you are unable to make the most of it. Almost a decade earlier than Milton, one of Marlowe’s characters in The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, in response to the question “where is the place that men call hell?” stated that “Within the bowels of these elements, where we are tortured and remain for ever. Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed in one self place. But where we are is hell, and where hell is there must we ever be. And to be short, when all the world dissolves and every creature shall be purified, all places shall be hell that is not heaven.” Hell is not a place, but more of a concept. It is something brought on by the life one leads. Hell has no time, only eternal suffering within one’s own consciousness.

My new favorite reference

2005-12-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

As much I did not enjoy reading Frye, I am finding him a great reference in all my classes. So far this semester I have referenced him in two papers for different classes. Frye is an excellent source. He is so universal that I can always find something to relate to him. So, as much as I struggled through the Fyre readings, I am now very greatful to have done so.

Eschatology

2005-11-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

Eschatology – study of end times
Realized Eschatology – literary, mythological, the world already came to an end we were just not aware of it
Literal Eschatology – literal understanding of mythological ends of the world

Realized Eschatology is understanding through myth and metaphor, whereas Literal Eschatoloogy takes the mytholocal stories of the destruction of the world seriously and literally.
I just wanted to provide a link to a page on Wikipedia which discusses eschatology in different religions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology

Vocab 2

2005-11-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

Drama – (dromenon) ritual, something that is done
Tragedy – son of the goat
Hubris – overwhelming human pride
Chthonic – of or pertaining to the underworld
Furies – female agents of retribution
Armageddon – battlefield from the Book of Revelation
Epiphany – sudden manifestation of insight or power from a realm beyond yourself
Libation – drink which honors the gods
Entheos – possessed by the god
Pietho – persuasion
Deus es machine – god from the machine
Parable – turning of expectations of what is to come
Esoteric – just for insiders
Epistles – letters
Paratactic – style of writing in which everything is drawn together with the same level of significance, urgent
Eschatology – study of end times
Realized Eschatology – literary, mythological, the world already came to an end we were just not aware of it
Literal Eschatology – understanding of mythological ends of the world
Screed – argument

Calasso Quotes

2005-11-27T19:18:00.000-08:00

“And all at once she understood what myth is, understood that myth is the precedent behind every action, its invisible, ever-present lining. She need not fear the uncertain life opening up before her. Whichever way her wandering husband went, the encircling sash of myth would wrap around the young Harmony.” (383)
Myth is everywhere, “there is nothing new under the sun.” There is no use fearing the future, the myth of your life will play out regardless, you may as well make the best of it.
“Helen concludes; ‘Zeus has prepared a woeful destiny for us so that in the future we might be sung of by the bards.’” (385)
Why do we suffer? So people can sing about us in the future. Some people, terrible or great, are destined for destruction and suffering so that others may look back on their lives and perhaps learn from them.
“But when something undefined and powerful shakes mind and fiber and trembles the cage of our bones, when the person who only a moment before was dull and agnostic is suddenly rocked by laughter and homicidal frenzy, or by the pangs of love, or by the hallucination of form, or finds his face streaming with tears, then the Greek realizes that he is not alone. Somebody else stands beside him, and that somebody is a god.” (243)
I really like this quote because it defines enthusiasm. In an instant a person can go from being completely calm and dull to enthusiastic, or having a god within them. When you are overcome with laughter or grief, you are possessed.
“Life: something incurable, to be accepted for what it was, in all its malice and splendor.” (273)
This quote comes after Calasso’s idea that existence is beyond salvation. He states that the most one can do is accept life and hold on for as long as you may.
“To invite the gods ruins our relationship with them but sets history in motion. A life in which the gods are not invited isn’t worth living. It will be quieter, but there won’t be any stories. And you could suppose that these dangerous invitations were in fact contrived by the gods themselves, because the gods get bored with men who have no stories.” (387)
This quote is basically the conclusion to Calasso’s book. Without suffering there are no stories. Without stories life is not worth living.

The Magus

2005-11-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

The other day in class Dr. Sexson mentioned the passing of “one of the twentieth century’s greatest authors,” John Fowles, and his book, The Magus. I just wanted share my thoughts on the book and give it my recommendation. Like Dr. Sexson said, it is a page-turner. It took me a little while to get into it, but when I did I couldn’t put it down. It is very intriguing. At times I was disturbed, Fowles seems to find a way to get inside your head, but the plot is constantly changing and it stays compelling throughout the 668 page novel. This book really affects its readers, and sticks with you because “all life is displaced myth.”

Chief Mountain

2005-11-27T17:54:00.000-08:00

http://www.nationalparksgallery.com/item/8298/category/Glacier-National-Park

This is a picture of Chief Mountain, located in Glacier National Park, which I discussed in our (group 6) presentation. I talked about the Blackfoot myth regarding the mountain, in which a Warrior was killed in battle and buried at the base of the mountain. His wife, overcome with grief, threw herself and her infant child off the top. This is supposedly one reason why it is called Chief Mountain, and why there is a figure of a woman and a child within the mountain formation (though I'm not sure where). Other mountains discussed in our presentation included: Mount Moriah, Mount Sinai, Mount Cook, or Arokori, and Mount Olympus. We focused on the relationship between these geological formations and the cultures which surround them.

Oresteia Question

2005-11-26T14:18:00.000-08:00

What is Electra's role in The Oresteia?

Macbeth Displacement

2005-11-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to mention a really good displacement done on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It is a movie called Scotland, PA. It appeals to a sort of dry sense of humor, but I recommend it to anyone who likes Macbeth.

More Art History

2005-11-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

I couldn't figure out how to put more than one picture in a post so I had to do these separately. This is the Lion Gate located in Mycenae Greece. Our Art History text, Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, Twelfth Edition, Vol. 1, by Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya states: “The severity of these fortress-palaces was relieved by frescoes, as in the Cretan palaces, and, at Agamemnon’s Mycenae at least, by monumental architectural sculpture.”

http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21104a/00/lk04a013.jpg

This is the Treasury of Atreus. “At that time, wealthy Mycenaeans were laid to rest outside the citadel walls in beehive-shaped tombs covered by enormous earthen mounds. The best preserved of these tholos tombs is the so-called Treasury of Atreus, which already in antiquity was mistakenly believed to be the repository of the treasure of Atreus, father of Agamemnon and Menelaus.”

http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21104n/e211dn01.html

This is the Vault of the tholos of the Treasury of Atreus. "The tholos is composed of a series of stone corbeled courses laid on a cirular base and ending in a loftly dome."

http://encarta.msn.com/media_461526795_761555109_-1_1/Treasury_of_Atreus.html

Art History

2005-11-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

In our last section in ancient through medieval art history we studied Mycenaean Art and Architecture and I found it very interesting since it fits perfectly with our readings in the Orestia. Here are some pictures of ancient architecture from the Greek Peloponnesus.

This is an aerial view of an acropolis layout in Tiryns, Greece. It was designed to maximize defense against attacking armies.
http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21104a/e211da01.html

Calasso

2005-10-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

I am definently enjoying the Calasso reading more than Frye, though the light bulb experiences are not a numerous. Here are a few that I have picked out so far:
“to seduce also means ‘to destroy’ in Greek: phtheirein.” (20)
I do not want to even attempt to count the number of seductions which led to destruction in mythology.
“it is part of the hero’s civilizing work to suppress himself, because the hero is monstrous. Immediately after the monsters, die the heroes.” (70)
Heroes are extraordinary, which at the same time makes them outcasts. They do society good, but are never able to fully fit in to normal society. When they accomplish their quest there is nothing left for them.
“But here comes the outrageous enigma: man now discovers that sacrifice is just as effective as a tool of social manipulation as it was to appease the gods.” (108)
This seems to be a sort of transition from the “rape” stage, which humans are overwhelmed by the divine powers, to the “indifference” stage. Humans begin to desire power in their mortal lives over pleasing the gods.
“No sooner have you grabbed hold of it than myth opens out into a fan of a thousand segments.” (147)
I am realizing this more and more as I continue to read this book.

Frye "lightbulbs"

2005-10-12T18:28:00.001-07:00

I’ve been working my way trough Frye page by page and here are some of the “light bulb” phrases I’ve picked out.
“I have many times remarked on the illogicalities of the word literal, and on the absurdity of assuming that in the Bible, for example, the literal (descriptive) meaning must be fundamental, because the Bible could not be true without it. There is no continuous or fully developed descriptive level of meaning in the Bible, and the Bible would be a grotesque anomaly if there were.” (5-6)
To me this makes a lot of sense. Having never read the Bible, I assumed that it was a literal work and that was the reason for its importance in religion. But, after reading Genesis and the Book of “J” I now realize that it most definitely is not meant literally. If it were meant literally than it would be completely inconsistent and illogical.
“it is not possible to distinguish what we believe from what we believe we believe (GC 229); our actions alone show what we really believe.” (16)
This one just rang completely true to me and I liked it.
“language is a mean of intensifying consciousness.” (28)
This is another one I just liked. Frye states the criticism of language is a means to separating the real from the supposed. “criticism represents the forming of a social consensus around it.”
“mythology is not primarily interested in the speculative, much less the factual: it is a structure of practical human concern.” (32)
Myth is not concerned with being either approximate or factual. It is focused on the truths of life, what actually affects humanity.
“The second half of the century has seen a growing distrust of all ideologies and a growing sense of the importance of primary concern in both bodily and mental contexts. We now see protests in favor of peace, dignity and freedom rather than an alternative ideological system. Such protests are called counter-revolutionary or what-not by those who hold power and are determined to keep holding it, power being for them something that, in Mao Tse-tung’s phrase, comes out of a barrel of a gun.”(45-46)
This quote is long and I had to read through it a couple of time to understand it, but what I got from it was in perfect relation to our current political situation. I’d rather not discuss politics but it seems that the people in power are so eager to keep it that they view peace as a sort of set back rather than a goal to strive for.
“human life is not a straight line but a sequence of cycles in which we get ‘up’ in the morning and ‘fall’ asleep at night.” (162)
Humans will rise but the fall is inevitable. “for every ascent there is a descent.”

Vocab

2005-10-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Myth – story
Originary – that which was there first
In illo tempore – beginning of time, time before time
Perfunctory – only what is required
Theodicy – reason of god, questioning the justice of god
Dike – justice of god
Oasis – to make (Greek)
Pentateuch – first five books of the Hebrew Bible
Torah – law
Paronomasia – word play (punning)
Talmud – commentary on the Bible
Canonical – sanctioned as the official books
Iconoclastic – breaking of images
Metempsychosis – trance migration of souls, way in which they change or go from one place to another
Psyche – soul
Misprision – mistake, heard the wrong way
Prolxs – abundant, more than you need
Archetype – story of an image which is a foundation and is repeated throughout history
Etiology – how something came to be the way it is
Pater – father
Patriarchal – male society
Leth – truth, to remember
Lethia – to forget
Alethia – to unforget
Uranos – sky
Gain – earth
Metis – wisdom
Prometheus – thinks before he acts
Lacunae – a gap or hole
Sparagmos – tearing of live flesh
Kine – cows
Patrilocal Marriage – Husband visits wife at her father’s home
Vivilocal Marriage – Woman leaves home to live with husband
Teraphim – household gods
Exclusivism – dislike of neighbors, belief that “god is on our side”
Decalogue – the Ten Commandments
Synecdoche – literary form, part of the whole, part of something stands for the whole thing

Misprision

2005-10-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

I was brought up on “oldies” such as Bob Dylan and Credence Clearwater Revival. When I was little, and up until fairly recently, I had a major misprision in the chorus of the song Bad Moon Rising by CCR. The actual lyrics go “there’s a bad moon on the rise.” I, on the other hand, thought that it went “there’s a bathroom on the right.”

Initial thoughts on Frye

2005-10-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Like most, my initial thoughts on the Northrop Frye readings were full of frustration and confusion. I struggled through the first chapter, highlighter in hand, searching for anything I vaguely understood. Here and there I was able to pick up certain concepts that seemed to make sense. It was encouraging when Dr. Sexson pointed out the passage on page 113 which states “certain sentences seem to be keys to the total meaning, and they are the first parts of the narrative to undergo the transition from their context in the narrative to their new context in the reader.” To me, these sentences, as few and far in-between as they may be, are the “light bulb experiences” which we were assigned to look for, and which enable me to continue through Frye’s extensive vocabulary and complex knowledge.

Hello

2005-09-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

My name is Cassandra Gates and I am a sophmore and possible english major. This is my second class from Dr. Sexson and I am very much looking forward to this semester.