[Vision2020] In defense of beating people up...
Joan Opyr
auntiestablishment@hotmail.com
Wed, 5 Mar 2003 21:55:01 -0800
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Hwaet, we visionaries,
As an Anglo-Saxonist (ABD from The Ohio State University), I must protest=
the grotesque and repeated misuse of Beowulf as a defense for putting ch=
ildren in a ring and encouraging them to hit one another. What in the wo=
rld does the legend of a Geat who ripped the arm off a monster have to do=
with boxing? Beowulf also killed the monster's mother, who in some ways=
was more terrible than Grendel himself. Are you trying to suggest that =
Rosemary should sleep uneasily in her cave? If so, I can only assure you=
that she would have had Beowulf for lunch.
Beowulf is a beautiful poem, terrible and sad. The translation Mr. Downe=
y cites does not do it justice. Neither does his interpretation. It is =
an amazing flight of fancy to imagine that forty young striplings at a bo=
xing match in Moscow, Idaho are in any way comparable to the heroes of ep=
ic poetry. Good heavens above, what next? Will you be passing the mead =
cup instead of the spit bucket? Claiming maidens as spoil? We're talkin=
g about grade school kids and teenyboppers fighting. This is not Homeric=
; it's homeroom-ic. =20
Literature has the power to render seductive and appealing any number of =
things we ought not to do. So does the TV show Jackass. I'm a fan of bo=
xing (though not for small children), but this warrior horse hockey is ma=
king me sick. Defend it as a sport, but let's leave Tolkien, Lewis, and =
Chesterton where they belong, in their mossy graves, spinning.
Auntie Establishment/Joan Opyr
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://exp=
lorer.msn.com
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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV>Hwaet, we visi=
onaries,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As an Anglo-Saxonist (ABD from The =
Ohio State University), I must protest the grotesque and repeated misuse =
of Beowulf as a defense for putting children in a ring and encouragi=
ng them to hit one another. What in the world does the legend =
of a Geat who ripped the arm off a monster have to do=
with boxing? Beowulf also killed the monster's mother, who in some=
ways was more terrible than Grendel himself. Are you trying to sug=
gest that Rosemary should sleep uneasily in her cave? If so, I can =
only assure you that she would have had Beowulf for lunch.</DIV> <DIV>&nb=
sp;</DIV> <DIV>Beowulf is a beautiful poem, terrible and sad. &=
nbsp;The translation Mr. Downey cites does not do it justice.&n=
bsp; Neither does his interpretation. It is an amazing flight =
of fancy to imagine that forty young striplings at a boxing match in Mosc=
ow, Idaho are in any way comparable to the heroes of epic poetry. G=
ood heavens above, what next? Will you be passing the mead cup=
instead of the spit bucket? Claiming maidens as spoil? We're=
talking about grade school kids and teenyboppers fighting. Th=
is is not Homeric; it's homeroom-ic. </DIV> <DIV>&=
nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>Literature has the power to render seductive and ap=
pealing any number of things we ought not to do. So does the TV sho=
w Jackass. I'm a fan of boxing (though not for small children)=
, but this warrior horse hockey is making me sick. Defend it as a s=
port, but let's leave Tolkien, Lewis, and Chesterton where they belong, i=
n their mossy graves, spinning.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Au=
ntie Establishment/Joan Opyr</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> &nb=
sp; </DIV></BODY></HTML><br clear=3Da=
ll><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href=3D'ht=
tp://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>
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