Epic Poetry and Psychological Complexity (was NPPF Canto 1: 1-4 some random notes)

[Michael Joseph]

Terence, I am supposing that you've simply missed the point here, owing
perhaps to the way messages mutate by being repasted into other messages
(a disaser with comic but certainly not cosmic consequences). So I suggest
you reread Empson's critique, Milton's God (1961), which Tim was I believe
referencing, and in which it is Snt. Michael, not God, who is being spoken
of in Empson's metaphor, and then try this again.


Michael


> > Tell it to Job.
>
> Why tell it to Job? It's nonsense! The analogy is meaningless unless
> you've not read the book in question are simply out to say that Milton's
> God or the Christian God generally is some sort of cruel and unjust
> Master who sends his angels (be these in heaven or hell) out to kick
> humans around. Well, that might make some sense if you were talking
> about some other myth, say one of the Greek myths, but this kind of
> reading of PL is nothing but crap. If you want to take the time to read
> the book (some 900 lines that might be worth comparing and
> contrasting--I'm with Jbor on the merits of PF--with Shade's poem).
>