Monday, January 14, 2013

The Swerve, Stephen Greenblatt

This book is about its author:

I. Jewish, male, neurotic; lives and works in largely Christian country; neurotic mother.

II. Attempts to Escape Neuroses.

     A. Mother.
          1. Death neurosis: transmitted to author.
          2. Harmful to author.
          3. Loving to author.
          4. Died.
          5. Fail.


    B. Judaism-Christianity.
         1. Conflict.
         2. Christian persecution of Jews.
         3. Attempts to become “secular humanist.”
             a. Rejects Christianity.
             b. Identifies with Epicurus, Lucretius, Poggio Bracciolini.
                  (i) Life as pursuit of pleasure, avoidance of pain.
                  (ii) Left Berkeley for Harvard.
                  (iii) Left first Jewish wife/family.
                  (iv) Remarried younger Jewish woman.

                  (v) Started new family with second wife.
                  (vi) Dyed hair/Got hair transplants.

                  (vii) Won Pulitzer Prize.
                  (viii) Dedicated Pulitzer Prize-winning book to second wife "for inexhaustible pleasure."
                  (ix) Made money.
             c. Didn't reject Judaism.
                  (i)  Guilt over leaving first wife/family.
                  (ii) Aging (69 yrs old).
            d. Still death neurotic.
            e. Fail.
    C. Fail.