Subject: (urth) Lepanto

From: Alice K. Turner <aturner6 at nyc.rr.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 14:16:56 +0000

Andrew Bollen:

>> I've never read Chesterton before, but his "Lepanto" (below) surely is
>> horrendously awful.

To which vizcacha replied:

> I wouldn't say it's _that_ bad. Like Kipling, if you encounter it at a
> certain age, it's quite thrilling. It also works better if you recite it 
> out
> loud; the alliteration and meter are stirring. Or at least I remember 
> these
> impressions from when I was a certain age. Check out _The Man Who Was
> Thursday_, or a light dose of Father Brown if you want something by
> Chesterton that you might enjoy more.

Oh, I agree completely. This kind of writing is completely out of fashion 
now, but "Lepanto" is actually a fine example of robust Victorian jingoism, 
or, from Orwell's point of view, admiration for Catholic conquistadores. But 
you really have to admire the nerve of:

Love-light of Spain--hurrah!
Death-light of Africa!
Don John of Austria
Is riding to the sea.

At least when read aloud. Nobody mentioned, btw, what a splendid piece of 
invective prose the Orwell excerpt is, so I will.

-alga

---

From: Stanis³aw Bocian <sbocian at poczta.fm>
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 15:10:16 +0000

Tuesday, January 11, 2005, 11:16:46 PM, Alice K. Turner wrote:

AKT> Oh, I agree completely. This kind of writing is completely out of fashion 
AKT> now, but "Lepanto" is actually a fine example of robust Victorian jingoism, 
AKT> or, from Orwell's point of view, admiration for Catholic conquistadores. But 
AKT> you really have to admire the nerve of:

AKT> Love-light of Spain--hurrah!
AKT> Death-light of Africa!
AKT> Don John of Austria
AKT> Is riding to the sea.

AKT> -alga 

I am sorry to disappoint you, but battle of Lepanto had nothing to do
with the conquiscadors, except that most Christian soldiers there were
Spanish. It was a defensive battle against Turkey. If you think that
Europeans having a temerity to defend themselves against an Islamic
barbarous invasion constitutes robust Victorian jingoism, I can say
nothing more.

I use the word barbarous deliberately. When Famagusta surrendered to
the Turks, they made a drum of the skin of the commander.

 According to Encyclopedia Britannica

Lepanto, Battle of

 (Oct. 7, 1571), naval engagement between allied Christian forces and
 the Ottoman Turks during an Ottoman campaign to acquire the Venetian
 island of Cyprus. Seeking to drive Venice from the eastern
 Mediterranean, the forces of Sultan Selim II invaded Cyprus in 1570.
 The Venetians formed an alliance with Pope Pius V and Philip II of
 Spain (May 25, 1571). Philip sent his half brother, Don John of
 Austria, to command the allied forces. By the time the allies
 assembled at Messina, Sicily (Aug. 24, 1571), the Turks had captured
 Nicosia (Sept. 9, 1570), besieged Famagusta, and entered the
 Adriatic. Their fleet lay in the Gulf of Patras, near Lepanto
 (N?vpaktos), Greece. The allied fleet of more than 200 ships sailed
 for Corfu on September 15 and on October 7 advanced in four squadrons
 against the Ottoman fleet, commanded by Ali Pa a, Mu?ammad Saulak
 (governor of Alexandria), and Uluj Ali (dey of Algiers). After about
 four hours of fighting, the allies were victorious, capturing 117
 galleys and thousands of men. Of little practical value (Venice
 surrendered Cyprus to the Turks in 1573), the battle had a great
 impact on European morale and was the subject of paintings by Titian,
 Tintoretto, and Veronese.

-- 

    Stanislaus Bocian

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