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Author Topic: echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small  (Read 15793 times)

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monkey punch

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« on: January 28, 2004, 06:42:46 pm »
Has anyone noticed a number of allusions to Ancient Greece in the first forty-two pages of "Nate Small: One Tough Man?"  

The mansion is a maybe-maybe reference to the Labyrinth, and the story's central villain may be a Minotaur (he is called "Moose," after all).  

Whether or not it's an allusion to the Labyrinth, the entire mansion itself is an extended allusion to the Palace Economies of Ancient Crete and Middle Bronze Age Mycenae.  The mundane lists of Moose's and others' activities are _exactly_ like the written records that survive today from the Palace Economy era.  (Similar lists survive today from Near-East civilizations like the Assyrians and Persians)

Nate's intellectual past undeniably alludes to Pre-Socratic philosophy: Nate, with his PHYSICs teacher, investigates "things in the heavens and below the earth"--to use Aristophanes' words.  For those who aren't "in the know" Phusikoi is the ancient greek word for Pre-Socratic philosophers.  

Notice also that Nate's closest ally in the story is a Greek, one who imparts Nate with Greek wisdom.  Similarly, Dexter university's aristocracy produced most of their wealth by none other than RAISING CATTLE; how much more Ancient and Greek could that be?

Throughout the mansion episode, there are vague (note that I used the word "vague") echoes of Book I of Herodotus's "Histories."  Like Herodotus's Persians, the german girl kisses nate on the cheek in warm greeting.  Similarly, in the mansion an animal is cooked whole, which is another strange custom Herodotus describes.

There are other allusions, but these are the ones that came to mind as I wrote this post.  Anyone who sees others should speak up; Apollo commands it.

Something else: Dexter is a stylized anagram of Exeter, the name of a snooty British university.  Remove the second E, replace it with its left-handed neighbor in the alphabet (...D, E...), then reinsert it at the front of the word, and, voila, Exeter becomes Dexter.

Oddly, "Dext-," is a root meaning "right hand."  This might ironically point to the transformation of the E into a D in the anagram.  However, it's also a Latin, not Greek, root.  Either Onstad momentarily confused two classical traditions, or I haven't noticed a hell of a lot of other references.  Is there a Latinist in the house?

One wonders whether, in the end, Onstad will divide "Nate Small: One Tough Man" into twenty-four chapters (like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey)
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V-Adore

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2004, 07:07:10 pm »
I love that this post exists. This is all.

Well, not quite; I find this all intriguing and pleasantly appropriate given that Nate Small's biggest fan is one Mr. Kazenzakis.
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pmcd9

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2004, 07:09:27 pm »
I've got nothing.
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AlohaDawg

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2004, 08:00:15 pm »
Dexter is also an anagram for Cornhole. Just replace all the letters with different letters and add two more. Voila'! another activity of ancient Greece.

Seriously, I think that throughout literature you find hundreds of stories based on older stories. Since our majority culture (at the  moment) looks to ancient cultures of the mediterranean for the roots of philosophy, language, literature, and thought it's not too surprising. Whether purposeful or not, I am sure there is a grain of truth to the post. It's true over and over again in the rest of our literary tradition. But I got tired reading it the first time because I left college in 1991. Good to see people still think about stuff like this though. I can't wait to see what St. Smartan posts.
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St_Zartan

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2004, 10:11:17 pm »
Quote from: "AlohaDawg"
I can't wait to see what St. Smartan posts.


I have no idea how to take that.

If I was into the Serializer thing ("Nate Small" - I'm assuming all text content and written in that wonderful old "Boys' Own" style, right?), I could skim through it all and probably find lots of cool examples to hang on that whole Carl Jung / Joseph Campbell archetype business. You're probably all familiar with it - after George Lucas completely changed his story and decided it would be much more grandiose to claim "Star Wars" was based upon Big Serious Study rather than dozens of viewings of "The Hidden Fortress", Campbell entered the public consciousness.

Shortly thereafter, the Internet, and very earnest people with Tripod accounts who can find "Hero's Journey" signposts in fuck*ng Knight Rider reruns. This is not to discount Monkey Punch's post, which is actually pretty rad; he clearly knows his shit. Dawg's observation is valid, too; the same sort of stories keep popping up independent of one another - The Odyssey, Journey to the West, The Magic Flute, etc etc. Greece just gets all the play in schools. But there's never really anything new under the sun. Even dick jokes.
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monkey punch

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2004, 04:39:17 am »
The following message is likely to confuse nearly all of you.  Please accept my apologies for posting cryptically.  Simply ignore me.

My name is [to the crows with every one of you].
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AugustWest

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2004, 04:52:02 am »
The seventh sparrow will sing at midnight.

That is all.
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Infinitely vast, infinitely detailed.

pmcd9

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #7 on: January 29, 2004, 05:11:52 am »
Someone left a cake out in the rain.

Carry on.
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I hope I never have to refer to a scone in spoken conversation.

V-Adore

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #8 on: January 29, 2004, 05:31:45 am »
The sun is shining... but the ice is slick.

(ADVENTURE!)
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jough

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2004, 06:54:03 am »
The purple cow barks at dusk.
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AlohaDawg

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2004, 07:41:51 am »
The flying giraffe hath a polyp.

To St. Zartan: no offense meant, actually...it's just that you have this researchy bent and post long, prosaic posts when presented with such a question as could be anwered by a visit to, oh, say your local library. I just figured you could/would have a lot to say on such a subject.

To the crows with me.

The French boy with the Jacques Strap.
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AugustWest

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #11 on: January 29, 2004, 02:15:50 pm »
Purple monkey toothbrush.
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CortJstr

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #12 on: January 29, 2004, 02:24:04 pm »
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jough

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #13 on: January 29, 2004, 04:44:29 pm »
Man, monkey punch got INDIGNANT up in this piece!

Yeah, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to use a cartoon message board post on your resume, pig fucker.
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Limmo

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echoes of the classical tradition in Nate Small
« Reply #14 on: January 29, 2004, 11:23:33 pm »
Quote from: "CortJstr"
Super Karate Monkey Death Car


The only film/TV prop I have ever fetished is that poster of Jimmy James' book Macho Business Donkey Wrestler.  War!  War!
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