The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
Mary Renault Book Discussion
injest:
I know that a lot of women see men as having all the power...maybe that is why...you know this is the first time I have noticed those little digs about women??
on to chapter 2??
Kerry:
--- Quote from: injest on January 05, 2007, 02:03:56 am ---interesting too (to me) is the aside MR throws in about the source of the plague....the WOMEN blame (correctly) the contaminated water supply while the vastly 'superior' men assume it is a curse from the gods for some imagined sin....and laugh at the women...
--- End quote ---
I can't find a reference to the women blaming the contaminated water supply; rather, they blamed the country people for bringing a "curse":
"Some said the Spartans had called on Far-Shooting Apollo, some that they had contrived to poison the springs. Some of the women, I believe, blamed the country people for bringing in a curse; as if anyone could reasonably suppose that the gods would punish a state for treating its own citizens justly. But women, being ignorant of philosophy and logic, and fearing dream-diviners more than immortal Zeus, will always suppose that whatever causes them trouble must be wicked."
Fact is, we don't know what this "plague" was. Could be any one of a number of maladies. The only description we get from the text is that both Philon and the narrator's mother were feverish and the father was left with a "bloody flux." My dictionary defines a "flux" as a, "morbid discharge of blood, excrement, etc." Let's presume it was probably either cholera or bubonic plague.
Cholera is spread through contaminated water and is a bilious disorder with diarrhoea and vomiting. I imagine symptoms would include fever and a "bloody flux."
Symptoms of the septicemic form of bubonic plague include bleeding into the skin and other organs. Could this be interpreted as a "bloody flux"? I guess so. It's probable that you'd have a fever too. Bubonic plague is largely spread via the fleas on rats.
Could have been either, but I'm putting my money on bubonic plague. It is stated that the country folk who flocked to the city for safety, "lived like beasts" in "stinking huts." Not exactly a hygienic environment. It's likely they brought flea infested rats with them.
I read this as MR saying the women were correct, in a back-handed kinda way, in that they did rightly blame the country people for the plague. However, they were wrong in presuming that it was as a result of a curse they brought in.
Your thoughts?
injest:
OW!! MY bad!! Didn't go back and verify before I wrote... :laugh:
you are right of course....the source of the plague is never clear in The Last of the Wine...
I do think MR was doing as you say...doing a back hand insinuation that the women knew the truth (even if for the wrong reason)
interesting to me that Alexias does not say that women didn't have enough sense to understand logic and philosophy but that they were ignorant of them..interesting choice of words..
Kerry:
--- Quote from: injest on January 06, 2007, 09:16:52 am ---interesting to me that Alexias does not say that women didn't have enough sense to understand logic and philosophy but that they were ignorant of them..interesting choice of words..
--- End quote ---
From what I understand, "Immortal Zeus" is the equivalent of our "Lord Jesus" today. By that, I mean that He represents the formal state religion of the day and it was considered to be sacrilegious and heretical to speak against the Gods. :o
To use our own time as an example, I think MR is saying that the women are more inclined to be into exciting New Age philosophy, rather than attending staid old Sunday Mass!
Personally, I'd prefer to browse through a New Age store any day. :laugh: Sunday Mass? Been there, done that! :-\
I'm with the women on this score! ;)
I'm ready for chapter 2 when you are. Would you like to begin? :)
injest:
Chapter 2!!
and the introduction of the evil stepmother and SOCRATES!!
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version