John Maler Collier (1850–1934), "Clytemnestra," 1882
970 words
Greek tragedy is all but forgotten in mainstream culture, but there is a very good reason for looking at it again with fresh eyes. The reasons for this are manifold, but they basically have to do with anti-materialism and the culture of compression. To put it bluntly, reading Greek tragedy can give literally anyone a crash course in Western civilization which is short, pithy, and terribly apt.
Let’s take — for purposes of illustration — the first part of the Oresteia by Aeschylus, which concentrates on Agamemnon’s murder by his wife Clytemnestra. Read more …
Podcast No. 18
Tragedy, Horror, & the Transcendent
John Maler Collier, “Clytemnestra,” 1882
7,478 words / time: 49:12
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Editor’s Note:
The following text is Michael Polignano’s transcription of Jonathan Bowden’s lecture “Western Civilization: A Bullet Through Steel,” Read more …