"There are countless horrible things happening all over the world and horrible people prospering, but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible." -Auberon Waugh
Thursday, June 22, 2023
So, this Heliogabalus fellow was a bit of a tick, eh?
Well, he made it into Major General Stanley's patter song. The most interesting thing about that song is that every reference is one that any Victorian with a basic education was expected to recognize.
"I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus"
'The most interesting thing about that song is that every reference is one that any Victorian with a basic education was expected to recognize.' So true! And this persisted right up to the mid 20th Century when the last Victorians died off.
We studied Latin up to around 1970 in high school. Did you guys?
Early Pink Floyd and similar bands wrote songs about Sisyphus etc. They had a pretty upperclass education, despite their claims to be hoi polloi.
One downside of western classical studies though is that it encouraged gayness (!). Like that whacky theory in Plato's Symposium (that we were originally 2 beings joined and gays were 2 males), and all those elegant Roman male statues and ugly women: 'male beauty'.
That's why I prefer ancient India's sculpture instead, it's a sexy riot of huge boobs and poses.
Well, he made it into Major General Stanley's patter song. The most interesting thing about that song is that every reference is one that any Victorian with a basic education was expected to recognize.
ReplyDelete"I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus"
So like the Simpsons in modern times Stephen?
ReplyDeleteYeah... how did Livy say "Eat my shorts?"
ReplyDelete'The most interesting thing about that song is that every reference is one that any Victorian with a basic education was expected to recognize.' So true! And this persisted right up to the mid 20th Century when the last Victorians died off.
ReplyDeleteWe studied Latin up to around 1970 in high school. Did you guys?
Early Pink Floyd and similar bands wrote songs about Sisyphus etc. They had a pretty upperclass education, despite their claims to be hoi polloi.
One downside of western classical studies though is that it encouraged gayness (!). Like that whacky theory in Plato's Symposium (that we were originally 2 beings joined and gays were 2 males), and all those elegant Roman male statues and ugly women: 'male beauty'.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I prefer ancient India's sculpture instead, it's a sexy riot of huge boobs and poses.