It’s very clear why the essay created the insanity that it did. There is apparently only one truth that is allowed to be acknowledged. And no Jewish Israeli can hold that truth no matter how they try. Unless perhaps they try to blow themselves up or blow up their country of origin.
Hi Zina, I found your post via Mary L. Tabor and I'm glad I read it - thank you for sharing it, and especially the link to Joanna's essay, which I hadn't read yet. I'm shocked that such a humanist, personal essay caused so much controversy. I'm now inclined to seek out her translations as she seems like a fine human being.
I read Chen's essay and you, Zina, are totally on point. What a world we live in that such an essay would cause resignations and withdrawal of the piece.
The misuse of the word "fulsome" by, horrors, a literary magazine whose owners ought own a dictionary, is only one of the delights of this essay so full of wisdom. I'm off to read the essay that caused so much furor in the midst of this essay that does such a fine job of bringing to the fore Shakespeare's play _Julius Caesar_ while honoring others writing here on Substack.
Thank you, Zina. This was a great read. I especially like your subtitle: "Just because you are stabbing Caesar doesn't mean you are saving the Republic."
Wow. So the comic bookish psychology we've been culturally cultivating for all these years finally reared its ugly head in the lit world, too... It feels like a final profanation.
Very insightful piece, Zina! And a curious scandal. Definitely agree with this part: "It seems like writers with any type of backbone will need to write with the same amount of fatalism if they truly care about the future of literature, culture, and society." One issue is certainly that there are too many writers who are careerists, not fatalists. I give the careerists a hard time every now and then over at Timeless. :P I just found a biography of Jose Rizal at a bookshop: talk about a fatalistic writer!
Unfortunately, I don't think debate will bring the two sides together at this stage. And I don't think it ever has with Israel and Palestine: the rise of this sizeable faction of pro-Hamas people in the US proves that the sentiment for further debate is almost nonexistent at this point. The reason why neither this nor the partisan divide in the States can be resolved is simple at heart: both sides know too much. And we want pain and suffering to be inflicted upon the other side to punish them for their "sacrilege." Ideally a maximal amount of pain.
How does one combat this kind of socio-political sadism? I'd like to think literature can help.
What you write is so true and I like how you use the Ides and Caesar's death.
The word fulsome should only be used pejoratively or as satire applied to someone trying to sound sophisticated when "complete" or "detailed" or another appropriate word would have been fine.
It’s very clear why the essay created the insanity that it did. There is apparently only one truth that is allowed to be acknowledged. And no Jewish Israeli can hold that truth no matter how they try. Unless perhaps they try to blow themselves up or blow up their country of origin.
Hi Zina, I found your post via Mary L. Tabor and I'm glad I read it - thank you for sharing it, and especially the link to Joanna's essay, which I hadn't read yet. I'm shocked that such a humanist, personal essay caused so much controversy. I'm now inclined to seek out her translations as she seems like a fine human being.
Damn, that ending: I can almost hear an ancient horn blaring, a call to arms, to honor authenticity. I’m here for it.
Excellent thoughts. Cancel culture is going to be the death of free speech.
After reading the essay that created the storm of hysteria, I can only think that nuance is officially dead.
I read Chen's essay and you, Zina, are totally on point. What a world we live in that such an essay would cause resignations and withdrawal of the piece.
The misuse of the word "fulsome" by, horrors, a literary magazine whose owners ought own a dictionary, is only one of the delights of this essay so full of wisdom. I'm off to read the essay that caused so much furor in the midst of this essay that does such a fine job of bringing to the fore Shakespeare's play _Julius Caesar_ while honoring others writing here on Substack.
Thank you, Zina. This was a great read. I especially like your subtitle: "Just because you are stabbing Caesar doesn't mean you are saving the Republic."
Wow. So the comic bookish psychology we've been culturally cultivating for all these years finally reared its ugly head in the lit world, too... It feels like a final profanation.
Very insightful piece, Zina! And a curious scandal. Definitely agree with this part: "It seems like writers with any type of backbone will need to write with the same amount of fatalism if they truly care about the future of literature, culture, and society." One issue is certainly that there are too many writers who are careerists, not fatalists. I give the careerists a hard time every now and then over at Timeless. :P I just found a biography of Jose Rizal at a bookshop: talk about a fatalistic writer!
Unfortunately, I don't think debate will bring the two sides together at this stage. And I don't think it ever has with Israel and Palestine: the rise of this sizeable faction of pro-Hamas people in the US proves that the sentiment for further debate is almost nonexistent at this point. The reason why neither this nor the partisan divide in the States can be resolved is simple at heart: both sides know too much. And we want pain and suffering to be inflicted upon the other side to punish them for their "sacrilege." Ideally a maximal amount of pain.
How does one combat this kind of socio-political sadism? I'd like to think literature can help.
Fascinating connection between the Ides and a modern cancellation. And what a performance of Antony’s speech! Thank you for that. Wonderful post!
Zina,
What you write is so true and I like how you use the Ides and Caesar's death.
The word fulsome should only be used pejoratively or as satire applied to someone trying to sound sophisticated when "complete" or "detailed" or another appropriate word would have been fine.