catamites and narrators

Matthew Weber · 17 Sep 2002, 21:19 · from urth-v0209.mbox · original

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From: Matthew Weber <mweber at library.berkeley.edu>
Subject: RE: (urth) catamites and narrators
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 14:19:19 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0209-1752 at digest.urth.net>
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At 02:07 PM 9/17/02 -0700, you wrote:

>As do I, regarding incest. And so what? Consider Oedipus. Incest
>appears to be so vile that even unknown, it pollutes the world.
>Yet this is that world's savior ... go figure.

Yes, but the ethical/religious world of Sophocles isn't the same as that of=20
Wolfe.  In Sophocles (as in the Old Testament, come to think of it:  cf.=20
Uzziah and the Ark of the Covenant) it doesn't matter than Oedipus was an=20
unknowing wrongdoer; he was guilty of patricide and incest, even if the=20
former was self-defense and he had no idea he was committing the=20
latter.  Wolfe's sensibility is Christian:  intent is more important than=20
result, or at least as important.

Matthew Weber
Curatorial Assistant
Music Library
University of California, Berkeley

My father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with=20
scorpions.
         The Holy Bible (The Old Testament):  _The First Book of the=20
Kings_, chapter 12, verse 11

--=20

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