Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 14:19:19 -0700
From: Matthew Weber 
Subject: RE: (urth) catamites and narrators

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 
Wolfe.  In Sophocles (as in the Old Testament, come to think of it:  cf. 
Uzziah and the Ark of the Covenant) it doesn't matter than Oedipus was an 
unknowing wrongdoer; he was guilty of patricide and incest, even if the 
former was self-defense and he had no idea he was committing the 
latter.  Wolfe's sensibility is Christian:  intent is more important than 
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 
scorpions.
         The Holy Bible (The Old Testament):  _The First Book of the 
Kings_, chapter 12, verse 11


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