The argument of this compulsively readable book is simply that since our roots are so deep in the dirt of Classical Antiquity, we cannot form a true picture of who we are today, as Modern Man, without at least a superficial knowledge of our classical history. From the sexual mores of the ancient Greeks, to the political wranglings of the Holy Roman Empire (and a lot of tasty fodder in between). Love, Sex & Tragedy is cleverly divided up into five sections, each with the title of a rhetorical question: Who Do You Think You Are?, Where Do You Think You Are Going?, What Do You Think Should Happen?, What Do You Want?, and Where Do You Think You Come From? - all start the reader with an introspective suggestion that leads them into antidotal chapters that give very erudite and entrancing explanations of some of the our biggest mores and traits that no one seems to question, yet are ever-present in every waking, and sleeping hour. How did we arrive at our idea of what is moral sexually? Who first thought of the ideology we now know as Democracy? Where do we get our lust for entertainment?...for art? One question that this book asks that wasn't answered was how I got through a Latin minor without knowing much of the information that it contains. This is one of my top ten books this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment