/lit/ - Literature

When Bergotte calles Odette a whore.

Good Shakespeare torrents? I got excited over a 70gigger the other day but it was BBC Shakespeare--all old school. I'll take some Globe Theatre or Royal Shakespeare...

>>9752671
well then without getting into it, that's an integral part. Maybe, for you, like it was for me, reading these books and others, thinking about it, suffering, getting close to nature, working with hands (working out if that's the most one can do), will tend you toward that viewpoint.

Keep in mind that that is barely touching upon arguing for God from a logical standpoint, which is another ordeal.

>>9752643

>>9224630
A.C. Bradley is good.

>>9224645
>>9224805

Your crude summarization of what he says about Merchant of Venice really undermines what he actually said. It's more complicated than that. He debunks the notion that Shylock can be considered the hero, because he is so obviously the villain (something which I initially disagreed with when I first read MoV). The thing that sold it for me was how we feel at the trial scene (and this is something A.C. Bradley talks about too)--the reason the ending doesn't mesh well with us is because Shylock shouldn't've accepted his punishment. He has certain traits of a tragic hero, and this ending is not fitting for a tragic hero. Also (now this is me summarizing it crudely, but) why is the ending happy for an anti-semitic Bassanio and a racist Portia? I guess Antonio's sad ending is fitting for the confusement, but I don't know man...

Remember, it's a comedy. This doesn't mesh well for our 21st century minds. Also don't forget the "Hath not a jew" speech.

>How can Shakespeare, one of the most ambiguous and relativist playwrights to have ever existed, be accused of being anti-semitic?

You're right. How ambiguous was it of Shakespeare to include the "hath not a jew" speech in the same play where the jew is a semi-stereotypical villain? Extremely. Plus, Bloom never outright calls Shakespeare an anti-semitic. He tosses around the idea that if one were to do this it would be wrong, just like calling Shakespeare a catholic or an atheist. We don't know.