tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656921634940224775.post8093655004634762727..comments2024-02-11T15:29:31.409-05:00Comments on Richard's Pretension: On Being an AssRichard Bellushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10108081864942272619noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656921634940224775.post-22202368374415804862013-03-20T12:21:54.728-04:002013-03-20T12:21:54.728-04:00Satyricon is a bit confusing, which is not surpris...Satyricon is a bit confusing, which is not surprising considering that large pieces of it are missing, and that it is really several tales tied together by the central one. Petronius has a harsher tone than Apuleius, too, but he does offer some perspective on everyday Roman life that you don't get anywhere else. If you reach for The Golden Ass, I urge making it the one translated by Robert Graves, unless your Latin is up to the original. (I'm way too rusty.)<br /><br />I think the change in common speech is evidenced in two flicks. The relentlessly coital element inherent in Tony Montana's speech in Scarface (1983) was startling at the time and is evidence of his crudity (and the crudity of his associates) which never vanishes despite his acquisition of wealth. 15 years later in The Big Lebowski (1998), nearly all of the characters speak this way (though not the pornographer), and it conveys nothing about their social station. Admittedly, the dialogue in both is stylistically exaggerated, but not by a whole lot.Richard Bellushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10108081864942272619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656921634940224775.post-12197326112675792862013-03-20T10:50:20.279-04:002013-03-20T10:50:20.279-04:00I love your story about the"Golden Ass"....I love your story about the"Golden Ass". I'll need to check that book out. I actually picked up a copy of "The Satyricon" a few months ago, but haven't started it yet. <br /><br />You make a good point about language and how it has changed. I also noticed that my years of swearing like a sailor were limited to high school and the first couple years of university. And yet, my wife and I still use quite a bit of profanity at home - and not just when yelling at the cat. :)Roman J. Martelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09545497713474664555noreply@blogger.com