Liebster Award

I was surprised and honoured when I found out that Fariba from Exploring Classics had nominated me for the Liebster Award.  From what I can tell, this award is to keep bloggers connected and to help us find new bloggers as well.  What fun!

The rules associated with it are:

The Rules:

1.  Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their blog.

2.  Display the award somewhere on your blog.

3.  List 11 facts about yourself.

4.  Answer 11 questions chosen by the blogger who nominated you.

5.  Come up with 11 new questions to ask your nominees.

6.  Nominate 5 - 11 blogs that you think deserve the award and who have

     less than 1,000 followers.  (You many nominate blogs that have already

     received the award, but you cannot renominate the blog that nominated

     you.)

7.  Go to their blog and inform them that they've been nominated.

11 Facts About Me:

  1.  I live near the city but would rather live in the woods.

  2.  I love most things European.

  3.  I can speak very basic French, Spanish and German and have a

       smattering of Latin and ancient Greek.

  4.  I have a childish child-like, mischievous streak that is hard to shake.

  5.  I don't think that I'm your typical Canadian.

  6.  Things I like to do, but don't have talent for:  art, photography, singing

  7.  Goals for 2014:  to improve my French and to improve my photography
       skills

  8.  I have trouble saying "no" when it comes to books (shocking to
       everyone, I know! ;-)  )

  9.  I have trouble thinking up facts about myself.

10.  I like snakes and bats, but not spiders (shudder!).

11.  I like to help people.  

A Woman Reading
Claude Monet (1872)
source Wikipaintings

11 Questions from Exploring Classics:

  1.  What are your favourite and least favourite literary genres?

     
I, of course, love reading the classics.  I also like reading history, good biographies, poetry, drama and children's literature.

  2.  What are you currently reading?

     
The list?   War and Peace (just finishing)

                  The Horse and His Boy

                  Frankenstein

                  The Odyssey

                  Candide

                  Le Morte d'Arthur
                  The Idiot

  3.  What month-long book classic challenges would you be interested in

       doing this year?

Now that is a loaded question considering whom you are asking.  I have a number of challenges already for the year and I am trying not to add anymore.  But anyone who is following my blog knows that I have a problem with using the word "no".  So anything that came up, I would consider.  Right now I'm doing a Candide and The Odyssey read-along challenge and coming up is a Madame Bovary read-along, a Barsetshire Chronicles read-along, a read through The Well-Educated Mind biographies with some reading buddies, a Decameron read and discussion and a Gilgamesh read and discussion.  So my plate is overflowing with treats for the year!

  4.  What do you do when you're not reading?

     
I like to hike, cook, take courses, bike ride, hang out with friends, and think.

  5.  If you were stranded on a desert island, what five books would you
       need.

                 
1.  The Bible

2.  Paradise Lost

3.  The Iliad

4.  Les Miserables

5.  Pride and Prejudice/Jane Eyre/The Lord of the Rings ……???

  6.  What sort of music do you listen to?
     
Some of my favourite artists are Edwin McCain, Daughtry, Jude Cole, Laura Pausini (in Italian), and Alex Ubago (Spanish)

       

  

  7.  City or country, beach or mountains?

     
Country, and either beach or mountains.

  8.  Name five people (dead or alive) with whom you would like to have a
       round-table discussion.

     
Oooo, this is hard.  Let's see …….. C.S. Lewis, absolutely ……… Oscar Wilde, Aristides, Socrates, Cicero, Saint Augustine, Winston Churchill, Omar Khayyam, Dorothy Sayers ……. see, I couldn't stop at five.  

  9.  What is your favourite book that has been published in the last 10 - 20
        years?
     
Yikes, another hard one!  Okay, I would have to say, John Adams by David McCullough.  Oh, also The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto.

10.  If you could learn another language, what language would you choose to
       learn?

     
Well, at this point I would choose to perfect my French, but if I had to choose another language entirely, I would choose Italian.  Russian would be my second choice.

11.  You are on a vacation to a different country.  What do you make sure to
        fit into your itinerary?

     
If I'm outside North America, art and food discovery would top my list.  Within North America, I would be more likely to choose nature.

Woman Reading
Childe Hassam (1885)
source Wikipaitings

11 Questions for Nominees:

  1.  What book(s) are you currently reading and what do you think of it
       (them) so far?

  2.  If you could only read books from one country, which country would you
       choose?

  3.  Can you name a book that you've read and expected to enjoy, but
       ended up hating it?  

  4.  Can you name a book that you thought you'd hate and ended up liking?

  5.  Where is your favourite reading place?  

  6.  Do you have any "bad" habits when reading, such as dog-earring,
       writing in books, talking to the book, etc.?  (although I'm not sure
        if any of those are "bad" habits! :-)  )

  7.  If you had to live as a character from a book, who would you choose
       and why?

  8.  Would you/have you challenged yourself to read in a genre or era
        that you wouldn't usually choose?  Which one?

  9.  Can you think of a popular writer (or two) with whom you were
       unimpressed?

10.  If you could live somewhere other than where you live now, where
       would that be?

11.  Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Portrait of an Old Woman Reading
Gerritt Dou
source Wikipaintings

The Odyssey Read-Along Book XV & XVI

The Odyssey Read-Along @ Plethora of Books

Book XV

Athene finds Telemachos with “the glorious son of Nestor” and urges him to make his way back to Ithaka with haste and without delay.  She spins an elaborate story about Penelope being ready to marry Eurymachos and tells him of the ambush that awaits.  Leaving, she returns to Olympus and Telemachos awakes Peisistratos to inform him of the urgently needed departure.  Peisistratos counsels that they wait until morning and when dawn comes, Telemachos informs Menelaos of their return to Ithaka.  While Menelaos claims that he would never detain a guest if he wishes to go, he then proceeds to give gifts and prepare a dinner for Telemachos.  Patiently Telemachos bears the good will of his host, and before their parting a portent is spied, an eagle with a great white goose in his talons that shoots by the right of their chariot.  Menelaos begins to read the omen but Helen interrupts, claiming that Odysseus will return and take revenge on the suitors.  On their journey, they sleep overnight at the house of Diokles in Pherai but when Telemachos and Peisistratos reach Pylos, Telemachos begs Peisistratos to make excuses to his father for him not coming to take his leave so he can leave immediately.  He claims brotherhood with the son of Nestor, stemming from the love of their fathers and the common experience shared on their recent journey.  Peisistratos agrees to attempt to placate his father and Telemachos makes ready to leave, quite obviously a different, more assured Telemachos than the one who first landed in Pylos.  He is approached by a stranger, Theoklymenos, who asks for passage on his ship as he is being hunted, and Telemachos agrees to take him.  Meanwhile, Odysseus is “making trial of the swineherd, to see if he was truly his friend and would invite him to stay on in his steading as he was, or would urge him to go to the city.”  Odysseus asks for information about his mother and father and then Eumaios relates the story of his life, how he was stolen by Phoenician sailors and sold to Odysseus’ father Laertes.  And as they converse, Telemachos lands his ship on Ithaka and soon after, reaches the swineherd’s hut.

Faithfulness

The story of Eumaios is rather touching.  He grew up the son of a king, yet he was stolen and then sold as a slave into the family of Odysseus.  In spite of his superior status, he worked faithfully all his life for the family, so much so that he claims Odysseus’ mother treated him nearly as a son.  In addition, Odysseus has been gone for 20 years and the island has been leaderless.  Eumaios could have attempted to return to his homeland, yet instead he faithfully discharged his duties to Odysseus and his family without complaint and with tireless industry.  He displays truly amazing constancy and loyalty.

Xenia and the Guest-Host Relationship

Too funny!  Menelaos, when hearing of Telemachos' urgent need to depart, says he would not dream of delaying him, but then does precisely that.  And poor Telemachos must endure the feasting and gifts even though he is desperate to leave.  When he begs Peisistratos to make excuses for his not stopping to thank Nestor, one can tell this is something of a conundrum.  Peisistratos “pondered the thought within him, how he could fairly undertake this and see it accomplished” and admits to Telemachos about his father, “how overbearing his anger will be, and he will not let you go, but will come him himself to summon you.”  Telemachos wishes to tactfully avoid part of the guest-host relationship and the responsibility and respect he owes an elder but, as we can see, this is not an easy task to accomplish. 

Identity

We can see from Telemachos’ assured and confident behaviour, that he has found his identity while visiting Pylos and Laikdaemon and no longer needs constant support from Athene.  His men follow his orders unquestioningly, and he has obviously grown into a respected leader.

 

Reunion of Odysseus and Telemachus
Lucien Doucet (1880)

Book XVI

Odysseus hears footsteps and in walks Telemachos.  Eumaios is thrilled to see his master, kissing him and weeping.  Telemachos asks for news of his mother, as Odysseus rises to give him his place, yet Telemachos bids him stay.  After eating, Telemachos asks Eumaois for information about the stranger (Odysseus), whereas Eumaios reveals that he will tell the “whole true story.”  Telemachos is sorry that he cannot treat the stranger as he deserves because of the situation in his home, but instructs Eumaios to give him a mantel, tunic, sandals and a sword.  Odysseus probes as to his inaction with the suitors and Telemachos explains more of their troubles.  Eumaios sets off to give a message to Penelope that her son has arrived home and soon afterwards, Athene arrives with her golden wand, transforming Odysseus back to himself, and Odysseus reveals himself to his son.  At first Telemachos does not believe him but soon he is embracing his father.  Odysseus relates the story of his homecoming, then Telemachos gives his father information about the suitors as they devise their fate.  Odysseus instructs Telemachos to return home and promises to show up there as an old man, yet he entreats Telemachos not to do or say anything if he is abused by the suitors.  He instructs him to hide all the weapons in the house in a inner chamber, except for the ones they will need and to say nothing to anyone.  Meanwhile, both the herald from the ship and Eumaios arrive to tell Penelope of her son’s presence on the island.  The suitors are disturbed by the news and plot Telemachos’ demise, only a few refusing to take part.  Penelope, hearing of their plans, alternately scolds and pleads with them to prevent their murder and Eurymachos assures her that nothing will happen to her son, even though his heart is plotting otherwise.  Athene turns Odysseus back into an old man as Eumaios arrive back at the swineherd’s hut and Eumaios tells of seeing a fast vessel approaching the harbour, so they now know that the suitors who had lain in ambush have returned.

Deception

Deception, deception and more deception.  Oh, and a little less too!  What irony when Eumaios initially tells of Odysseus’ “whole true story”, which really is not true at all.  Odysseus first of all deceives his son with his identity but when Eumaios leaves, he reveals himself.  Penelope is still deceiving the suitors and Eurymachos deceives her when he promises that he will not harm Telemachos, nor let anyone else do so.

Identity

Telemachos is further establishing his identity as his character strengthens.  It is obvious he is not the same hesitant boy who started out on the voyage at the beginning of the poem.  His step is assured, his actions measured, and he even instructs his father on how they should test the men and women of their household. 

Those suitors had better watch out! 

The Odyssey Read-Along Book I & II
The Odyssey Read-Along Book III & IV

The Odyssey Read-Along Book V & VI

The Odyssey Read-Along Book VII & VIII
The Odyssey Read-Along Book IX & X

The Odyssey Read-Along Book XI & XII
The Odyssey Read-Along Book XIII & XIV

  

Candide Read Along Chapter 9 - 16

Candide Read-Along @ Exploring Classics

Chapter 9 - 10

Don Issachar bursts into the room and tries to stab Candide but instead Candide kills him by skewering him with his sword.  He is horrified but suddenly the Grand Inquisitor turns up and Candide kills him as well.  The old woman suggests that they flee on three horses (adding the information that she is only able to sit on one buttock) and, after gathering jewels and money, they set off for Cadiz.  When gone, the Holy Brotherhood enters the house, buries the Inquisitor in a beautiful church but throws the Jew on a garbage heap.

In a village on their way, Cunégonde is robbed,  -------- the suspect, a Franciscan friar.  They sell one of their horses to a Benedictine.  When they reach Cadiz, Candide's superior knowledge of drills lands him in the army which is to fight against the Jesuits in Paraguay as they rebel against the King of Spain.  As they cross the Atlantic, Candide hopes the New World will be an improvement over the Old, yet Cunégonde expresses little hope of this.  The old woman claims that her misfortunes surpass everyone's and begins to speak.

Voltaire makes a distinction between the classes and a commentary on the brutality of man and their harsh treatment of each other bases on these distinctions.  The purpose of his portrayal of the Franciscan friar as a thief and the Benedictine monk as cheap I'm assuming is another stab at the church, other than the obvious observation that he doesn't care for either, as the one is concerned with materialism and the other, economy.  The gradual change in Candide's philosophy continues:  "I must admit that it's possible to complain about some of the things that go on in our world, from both a physical and a moral point of view."  He is no longer Pangloss' parrot but he hasn't yet abandoned hope of "the best of all possible worlds", instead expecting to find it in another location.

Candide finds Cunégonde

Chapter 11 - 12

The old woman introduces herself as the daughter of Pope Urban X and the Princess of Palestrina.  She was raised in splendour and opulence, and betrothed to marry a prince but, when he is murdered by his mistress, she sets off with her mother on a ship to their estate near Gaeta.  On their way, they are captured by pirates, strip-searched, she is raped by the captain, then taken to Morocco as slaves.  Upon arriving there, they find the country in the midst of a civil war; everyone in their party is slaughtered except for the princess, who collapses and when she wakes, finds a man on top of her complaining of the loss of his testicles.  He carries her to a house, puts her to bed and then tells of how he was castrated and lived the life of a eunuch in her own palace.  She is amazed and shares the sad fate of her mother, upon which he recognizes her as the princess he had brought up.  Lately he had been helping a Christian power to wipe out other Christian powers and was in Morocco to purchase ammunition.  He promises to take her back to Italy but instead takes her to Algiers and sells her to the dey of the province, whereupon she catches the plague is sold numerous times until she finds herself with an aga who was sent to defend Azov against the Russians.  When facing starvation, their Janizary guards are persuaded by a beautiful sermon of a Muslim cleric, not to completely kill the women but instead, to cut off a buttock each to eat.  The Russians arrive and kill the soldiers, yet they cure the women and the woman is sold to a Russian Boyar; later she escapes, crosses Russia, works as a barmaid and wants to kill herself numerous times.  She finally becomes a servant in Don Issachar's house where she meets Cunégonde and claims that all men has often cursed their own lives and each thinks that he is the most miserable man in the world.

I'm assuming the Muslim cleric spouting beautiful sermons while the Moroccans butcher each other is another religious dig by Voltaire, but since the cleric was in Azov, and actually trying to help the women in the harem from being killed, I'm not sure that there's a connection.  As for the old woman, she has obviously suffered horrific trials at the hands of many.  Her destiny until the end of the tale, is never controlled by herself; she is always the pawn of another.  Yet, in spite of her tragic story and circumstances, she has survived and appears to have developed a strong character.  She claims to love life but seems confused at why she would want to hold on to something that has been mostly repellent to her:  "What could be more stupid than to persist in carrying a burden that we constantly want to cast off, to hold our existence in horror, yet cling to it nonetheless, to fondle the serpent that devours us, until it has eaten our heart?"

An Ottoman scholar
(1878)
source Wikipedia

Chapters 13 - 14

After the woman finishes her story, Cunégonde's respect for her increases and together, she and Candide poll the passengers and find out, indeed, all their lives have been miserable.  Candide wishes Pangloss was still with them so he could offer objections to his theories.  They land in Buenos Aires and the governor, Don Fernando, takes a fancy to Cunégonde and proposes marriage.  The old woman urges Cunégonde to accept, therefore making Captain Candide's fortune.  A ship comes into the harbour with a magistrate who is in pursuit of them.  The old woman tells Cunégonde to stay as she has nothing to fear since the murder was not at her hands, yet she urges Candide to flee.  Candide escapes with his valet Cacambo, a pragmatic young man who suggests that they find the Jesuits and fight for them instead of against.  When they reach the first border post into Paraguay they are taken to the Jesuit commandant and, lo and behold, it is Cunégonde's brother.  They speak as if brothers, telling each other the news since their last parting.

Again, Voltaire gives another nobleman a ridiculously inflated name (Don Fernando d'Ibaraa y Figueroa y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza) to mirror Spanish noblemens' ridiculously inflated egos and pretensions.  The old woman continues to instruct the couple, but it appears her favour sways to Cunégonde; she sees it is in Cunégonde's best interests to marry Don Fernando, so she pushes for the marriage and pressures Candide to flee.  Candide exhibits more signs of rejecting Pangloss' philosophy when he mentions wishing to argue with him over it.  Cacambo shows himself both clear-sighted and resourceful.  And, as usual, Voltaire makes a point to vilify religion, showing the Jesuits not only fighting in the midst of a war, but also possessing slaves.

Jesuit missionary
(1779)
source Wikipedia

Chapters 15 - 16

The baron relates his story and they embrace, the baron calling Candide his brother and saviour.  When he asks after his sister, Candide reveals his plans to marry her and the baron erupts into a rage.  Candide's pedigree is not good enough.  The baron strikes him with the flat of his sword, upon which Candide runs him through, killing him outright.  Cacambo runs in, dresses Candide in the baron's robe and hat, and they escape.  Candide is overwhelmed with sorrow at his act and that he may never see the fair Cunégonde again.  They come across two naked women being chased by monkeys who are biting their buttocks.  Candide, thinking he is saving the young women, shoots the monkeys but finds he has misjudged and that the monkeys are one-quarter Spanish and lovers of the ladies who are weeping and wailing over the dead corpses.  Cacambo convinces Candide this is not an unusual relationship and they camp in the forest to sleep, but upon awaking, find themselves trussed and bound.  The two girls have told the Oreillons about them and there are about fifty of them, labelling them as Jesuits.  Cacambo craftily tells the natives that they are about to eat friends, not enemies, and, in fact, they have just killed a Jesuit.  The Oreillons leave to discover the truth and return to release them.  Candide is relieved to have killed the Baron, without which they would have presently been eaten.

The contradiction between religion and war continue.  The Jesuits are supposed to be missionaries but they are portrayed as fighting a political war. Hierarchy is also made to appear foolish when, initially, the Baron treats Candide like a brother, then turns into a enemy as soon as he finds that they could actually be related by marriage.  Cacambo's practicality and ingenuity comes to the rescue as he formulates a successful escape plan and his quick-thinking gets them out of their precarious situation with the Oreillons.  I'm not even sure I want to analyze the situation with the monkeys.  Does the fact that they are one-quarter Spanish, make them nearly human?  What (if any) commentary is Voltaire making on the Spanish?  The natives?

Discussion Question:

What do you think?

Hmmm ……. I'm not sure ………..  Voltaire obviously has a dinosaur-bone to pick with the Church.  Even with the Muslim cleric, while he does portray him giving a sermon for the benefit the women of the harem, they lose half their buttocks and, meanwhile, his Moroccan brotherhood are butchering each other on the streets.  

I do agree that all the characters are such extremes (I've labelled them as caricatures), that it is difficult to take them seriously.  Every single friar, priest, or cleric is avaricious, ignorant, violent, etc.  That is like saying, for instance, if there is a serial killer who is a truck-driver from Kentucky, that all Kentucky truck-drivers are serial killers.  It breaks the laws of basic logic.  Even Candide, though sweet and innocent, has now killed three people and, honestly, is rather stupid.  Do I think Voltaire is shooting his argument in the foot?  Yes.  Perhaps the readers of his time could connect more to his writing but this reader, needs to be able to connect with characters in a novel to be able to be open enough to accept their arguments.  So far, I find the narrative silly and slightly irritating.  I'm wondering if this was simply a rant by Voltaire and his first (or second or third) intention wasn't necessarily to connect with his audience.

However, I'm still hoping that it will redeem itself somewhat at the end.  Yes, hope springs eternal!

source Wikimedia Commons

Candide Read-Along Intro & Chapters 1 - 8

Madame Bovary Read-Along

C.J. at Ebookclassics and Juliana at Cedar Station are hosting a Madame Bovary read-along and I am going to be one of the participants.  I think I've read this novel before but, as you can see, it's been so long that I can't quite remember.

The rules:

Step One:  Sign-up by commenting below or linking to your blog post using the widget.  (Note: Widget will be available on April 1st)

Step Two:  Grab the button and post it to your blog

Step Three:  Make a note of our posting schedule.

Every week either Juliana or C.J. will host a check-in post with thoughts and discussion questions.  Please note the posting schedule below:

        Part One - April 10, 2014
        Part Two - April 20, 2014
        Part Three - April 30, 2014

Step Four:  Twitter Users - Don't forget to use the hashtag #MadameBovary2014 throughout this event to help other participants find your posts and for informal chats about the book.

Step Five:  Please visit the blogs of your fellow read-along participants and say hello (this post [C.J.'s] will be sticky and the list will be regularly updated).

I'm looking forward to it!

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

The Silver Chair
First Edition Dustjacket
source Wikipedia

"It was a dully autumn day and Jill Pole was crying behind the gym."

Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole seek shelter from bullies in their Experiment House school and, after stumbling through a door, find themselves in Aslan's country, not realizing that Aslan has called them there for a very special purpose.

Ten years ago after the death of his mother, Prince Caspian's son, Rillian, disappeared into the North without a trace.  With Puddlegum, the pessimistic Marshwiggle as their guide and companion, Eustace and Jill set out to discover his fate.  However, Jill missed some of the four signs that Aslan had given her and the adventurers wonder if their quest has not been made more difficult because of her oversights.  Will they be able to save the heir of Narnia from the evil Emerald Witch, and even more importantly, what will they have learned by the end of their adventure?

Lewis makes me laugh with some of the symbolism he inserts into these tales for children.  In one scene, the Witch attempts to enchant the children, striving to convince them that their world is only a dream and that her world is, in fact, the real thing.  Bravely, Puddleglum, in desperation, stamps on the fire, hoping the resulting pain will break the spell.  He declares even if they have imagined all the wonderful things of their world, he prefers them to the cold, dark, menacing world of the Witch, and he pledges to live as a Narnian even if Narnia does not exist.  Puddleglum's curious statement echoes Blaise Pascal's famous wager that argues that even if God does not exist, to live by His precepts will ensure a better earthly life; what one would gain would be infinitely more valuable than what one would lose.

Puddleglum the Marshwiggle

This book is my least favourite of the Chronicles so far, but Lewis still manages to tell an engaging tale that keeps the reader interested and invested in the characters.  Next up is The Horse and His Boy!

C.S. Lewis Project 2014

Other Narnia Books

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle

Paradise Lost by John Milton

                                                                           "Of Man's first disobedience and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
 Brought death into the world and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us and regain the blissful seat,
Sing, Heavenly Muse, that on the secret top
Of Oreb or of Sinai didst inspire
That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed
In the beginning how the heavens and earth
Rose out of Chaos; or, if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook that flowed
Fast by the Oracle of God, I thence
Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above the Aonian mount, while it pursues
                                                                                Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme."

Samuel Johnson declared that Paradise Lost is "a poem …… which respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the human mind ….."   It is a poem about the rebellion in Heaven and the ejection of the fallen Angels; it is about the Garden of Eden, the deception of the snake, and the fall of Man.  But it is much more than all these points, separately and as a whole. Just as Satan falls into the depths of the burning pit of Hell, Milton delves into the depths of the human Soul and conversely soars to the heights of the God of Heaven, weaving a tapestry of images and profundity that will leave the reader amazed and speechless.  Initially, the reader believes he is following Milton's lead, not realizing until later that he is part of the tapestry itself and Milton's words have become part of his soul.  

John Milton's Cottage
courtesy of Old Skool Paul (sourced Flickr)
Creative Commons License

In this poem, Satan's actions are especially shockingly compelling as we follow his fall from Heaven, his brash, swaggering leadership of the fallen angels, and then his quest to best God to get his spiteful, yet senseless, vengeance.  We think of Hell as a place, full of fire and brimstone, burning and torment, and while Milton gives Hell a location in this poem, it is much more than that.  Satan carries Hell inside him.  It torments him, not only with thoughts of rage and hate and revenge, but almost more effectively with thoughts of despair, regret and impossible hope.  Conflicting emotions scrape and tear at him incessantly.  For him, Hell is not external; it is an internal condition from which he cannot escape.

Milton's superlative crafting of the character of Satan has led many people to believe he was perhaps too successful, making Satan the most exciting and heroic character of the poem.  William Blake stated that "the reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell, is because he was a true poet, and of the devil's party without knowing it".  It is certainly true that Milton intimately understood "the devil's party".  Like us all, he experienced sin within himself and within others:  rage, treachery, deceit, the desire for power, etc.  And with his astonishing talent, he was able to craft a character that is perhaps the most Satan of all the Satans in the history of literature.  Milton's Satan is capable of tricking not only Adam and Eve and angels, he is able to trick the reader of Paradise Lost as well, in such a subtle manner that certain readers admire his bravado, respect his machinations, and feel sorry for his plight.  While Milton's brilliance in this area of the poem is breath-taking, it is also unsettling.  C.S. Lewis in his lectures on Paradise Lost, approaches this issue in a dexterous manner, saying that if the reader chooses to admire Satan, he must only realize what he is admiring:

"No one had in fact done anything to Satan; he was not hungry, nor over-tasked, nor removed from this place, nor shunned, nor hated ---- he only thought himself impaired.  In the midst of a world of light and love, of song and feast and dance, he could find nothing to think of more interesting than his own prestige ….. 

……… Satan lies about every subject he mentions in Paradise Lost.  But I do not know whether we can distinguish his conscious lies from the blindness which he had almost willingly imposed on himself …… 

…….  What we see in Satan is the horrible co-existence of a subtle and incessant intellectual activity with an incapacity to understand anything.  This doom he has brought upon himself; in order to avoid seeing one thing he has, almost voluntarily, incapacitated himself from seeing at all.  And thus, throughout the poem, all his torments come, in a sense, at this own bidding  ….. 

……. the design of ruining two creatures (Adam & Eve) who had never done him any harm, no longer in the serious hope of victory, but only to annoy the Enemy (God) whom he cannot directly attack …… 

…….  From hero to general, from general to politician, from politician to secret service agent, and thence to a thing that peers in at bedroom or bathroom windows, and thence to a toad, and finally to a snake  -------  such is the progress of Satan.  This progress, misunderstood, has given rise to the belief that Milton began by making Satan more glorious than he intended and then, too late, attempted to rectify the error.  But such an unerring picture of the 'sense of injured merit' in its actual operations upon character cannot have come about by blundering and accident.  We need not doubt that it was the poet's intention to be fair to evil, to give it a run for its money ---- to show it first at the height, with all its rants and melodrama and 'Godlike imitated state' about it, and then to trace what actually becomes of such self-intoxication when it encounters reality."

Depiction of Satan
Gustave Doré (1866)
source Wikipedia

Yet in spite of the beautiful images painted amid the stark reality, Milton seems to rush the end of the poem, packing the whole Old Testament into the last two books and surprisingly uses a more direct narrative instead of showing the reader with his usual subtle yet beautiful verse.  Lewis remarks on the lack of genius in the last books in comparison to the earlier wonderful artistry of the poem:

"It (Paradise Lost) suffers from a grave structural flaw.  Milton, like Virgil, though telling a short story about the remote past, wishes our minds to be carried to the later results of that story.  But he does this less skillfully than Virgil.  Not content with following his master in the use of occasional prophecies, allusions, and reflections, he makes his two last books into a brief outline of sacred history from the Fall to the Last Day.  Such an untransmuted lump of futurity, coming in a position so momentous for the structural effect of the whole work, is inartistic.  And what makes it worse is that the actual writing in this passage is curiously bad.  There are fine moments, and a great recovery at the very end.  But again and again, as we read his account of Abraham or of the Exodus or of the Passion, we find ourselves saying, as Johnson said of the ballad, 'the story cannot possibly be told in a manner that shall make less impression on the mind'.  ……….  If we stick to what we know we must be content to say that Milton's talent temporarily failed him ……."

Yet even with its flaws, Paradise Lost is an epic that is at once majestic, beautiful, poignant, tragic and instructive.  It opens a window into the Biblical story of the fall, allowing the reader to live the experiences and emotions first-hand.  What a task Milton took on and how well he succeeded!  I predict this read be my favourite of the year.  My feeble summary only covers the surface of its significance; you will only have to read it yourself to discover its grandeur!


Further reading:
         A Preface to Paradise Lost - C.S. Lewis
         Charles Williams Selected Writings (contains an essay on Milton)
         

Paradise Lost Read-Along Books I & II

Paradise Lost Read-Along Books III & IV

Paradise Lost Read-Along Book V & VI
Paradise Lost Read-Along Book VII & VIII
Paradise Lost Read-Along Book IX & X
Paradise Lost Read-Along Book XI & XII

The Odyssey Read-Along Book XIII & XIV

The Odyssey Read-Along @ Plethora of Books

Book XIII

The Phaiakians give Odysseus numerous gifts, store them in the ship and set off for Ithaka.  On the way, Odysseus falls into a deep sleep and does not even wake when the Phaiakians carry him on shore and leave him with his gifts on the beach.  They return home but Poseidon is angry that they have helped our hero and, as punishment, he turns their ship into a rock in their harbour for all the people to see.  A prophecy has been realized and, worried, Alkinoös vows they will never convey another man at the risk of making the gods angry.  When Odysseus awakes he is furious, not recognizing Ithaka because of a mist Athene has put around him, and he think the Phaiakians have dropped him on a foreign island.  Grumbling, his first thought is to check his treasure to make sure that they haven’t stolen anything.  When Athene approaches as a man, he at first does not recognize her and asks if she can rescue his possession and him.  She reveals to him that he has landed on Ithaka, whereupon he tells her a pack of lies about his journey and landing to cover his true intent, but then Athene turns herself into a woman and he recognizes the goddess.  She lightly chides him in almost an admiring tone for his crafty, devious words.  He reveals he still does not think himself in Ithaka, that she is teasing him but Athene confirms it again with words that are temperate, but speak poorly about Odysseus’ character.  She lifts the mists and he now sees Ithaka; rejoicing he promises her gifts.  They then hide his gifts within a cave, placing a stone over the door, and Athene transforms Odysseus into an old man for protection so no one will recognize him.  She then departs for Lakedaimon to fetch Telemachos while Odysseus goes on to find his swineherd.

Hero or Ruffian

As the story moves on, Odysseus’ character becomes more questionable.  His majestically contrived words earn him many gifts from the Phaiakians, yet when he thinks they have left him somewhere other than where he requested, he is quick to blame them and then suspect them of treachey.  He is the most consumate liar when he first meets Athene and even she, while appearing somewhat disgusted at his display, cannot help sounding impressed, telling him he could almost fool a god.  He even appears to disbelieve Athene when she confirms he is on Ithaka, and she chides him then as well:  “Anyone else come home from wandering would have run happily off to see his children and wife in his halls; but it is not your pleasure to investigate and ask questions, not till you have made trial of your wife ……”  Yet we must not forget that Odysseus is in the gravest danger from the suitors if they realize he has returned.  He must be intensely careful now in order to guard is life.  Deception and disguise are his weapons at this point, and no one wields them as well as Odysseus!

Gifts

I’m trying to find out where these fit into the story and the importance of them.  I do realize that they are connected to glory and honour and are therefore of the highest import, but Odysseus appears addicted to them, risking death at the hands of Polyphemus in the off-chance he could aquire some; in this chapter he is first of all worried that the Phaiakians have stolen some of what they’ve given him and when he meets Athene he says, “ ……. Rescue these possessions and me.”  His treasure comes even before himself.  Is this the normal Achaian love of fame and glory, in that wealth is directly proportional to status, or does Odysseus’ lust for goods contain something extreme and unusual for the culture?

Minerva (Athena)
Jacques-Louis Dubois (19th century)
source Wikimedia Commons

Book XIV

Odysseus finds his swineherd, Eumaios on the porch of an enclosure, but is attacked by his dogs.  Eumaois calls them off and then takes Odysseus in as a stranger, offering him food and wine.  While Odysseus eats, he tells him of the intemperate behaviour of the suitors and their lack of respect towards Penelope; as Odysseus listens, he contemplates the evil he will do these foul men.  The swineherd praises his master and Odysseus is so impressed by his xenia and the way he has handled his goods while he has been absent, he assures Eumaios that Odysseus is bound homeward, yet the old swineherd does not believe his words.  He gives further news of the suitors and how they plan to waylay Telemachos on his way home, with murder in their hearts.  When he asks Odysseus his identity and from where he comes, Odysseus weaves such shocking tales full of deceit that even Eumaios does not believe him, showing wisdom in his scepticism.  He laments that Odysseus had not perished in the war, for if he had, he would have won fame for his household.  Odysseus, then seems to play a game with his servant to get him to give him a mantle or tunic: when the first ploy of asking for one in exchange for his information of Odysseus’ return doesn’t work, he later employs another duplicitous story to aid his devices, yet Eumaois claims there are no extra mantles, then helps to put him to bed under thick sheep fleeces, covering him with a mantle.  Afterwards Eumaios goes out to watch the herds from a sheltered hollow of rock.

Vengeance

The reality of the suitors' actions must be getting more real to Odysseus as he comes closer to home.  He now has from Eumaios a full account of their actions and while listening, he was devising their destruction.  When Eumaios tells him of their intent to ambush Telemachos and murder him, Odysseus then really has no choice but to kill them all.

Lies and Deceit

I do understand why Odysseus feels it is necessary to lie and deceive to conceal his identity (for protection in this case), but the elaborate, florid, dramatic lies that he weaves ………….. well, are they really necessary?  In this case, even Eumaios does not believe him.  Perhaps, subconsciously, from working for Odysseus before he left for the Trojan War, he has learned to recognize falsehoods told by his master …….??

Uysses attacked by the dogs of Eumea
Louis-Frederic Schützenberger (1886)
source Wikimedia Commons

The Odyssey Read-Along Book I & II

The Odyssey Read-Along Book III & IV

The Odyssey Read-Along Book V & VI

The Odyssey Read-Along Book VII & VIII
The Odyssey Read-Along Book IX & X

The Odyssey Read-Along Book XI & XII