Robert Calasso: The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony

This semester we have focused on the tensions between classical and Biblical literature, but one similarity I noticed was the importance of geneology. I liked Calasso's style, for example his use of "But how did it all begin?" For me, this created a sense that the beginning is uncertain just like the future. It also made me feel a connection, like all the stories create a kind-of spiderweb. Once the web is made it is difficult to tell where it began, but I don't think its impossible. "Mythical figures live many lives, die many deaths, and in this they differ from the characters we find in novels, who can never go beyond the single gesture. But in each of these lives and deaths all the others are present, and we can hear their echo. Only when we become aware of a sudden consistency between imncompatibles can we say we have crossed the threshold of myth," (22). This brought me back to Frye. "There is one conciousness that subjects itself to the text and understands, and another that, so to speak, overstands." It also makes me think of the intro to Harper Collins; in order to understand the Bible readers must sense the peculiarity and integrity of the world in the Bible and realize the multiple worlds of meaning that these texts can reveal. Interesting stuff. There are somany directions of study on this subject it is almost, well, it is, overwhelming. I haven't studied much mythology, so the names and background are intimidating to me. I did enjoy the read, though, and I found some charts that helped me map out the lineages.