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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Heart of the Matter

posted by on June 25 at 12:18 PM

McSweeney’s has a post up called “Lit 101 Class in Three Lines or Less.” I’m really fond of how the one for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe manages to fit some literary criticism into its three lines, and also the last line of the 1984 retelling is gold, but, for Christopher’s sake, this is the one that bats it out of the park:

Moby-Dick

ISHMAEL: I’m existential.

AHAB: Really? Try vengeance.

ISHMAEL: I dig this dynamic. Can we drag it out for 600 pages?

RSS icon Comments

1

Hmm, this is almost as good as the film Captain Ahab.

As in ... not.

Want a good choice, go watch Captain Abu Read, a far better Captain and a far more fun experience.

Posted by Will in Seattle | June 25, 2008 12:23 PM
2

WAY TO MISS THE FUCKING POINT #1

Posted by Willogical Fallacy | June 25, 2008 12:43 PM
3

Will will never learn to fly.

Posted by Rufio (From Hook) | June 25, 2008 12:48 PM
4

I was really having a jolly good time reading this post, until I read the first comment. #1, you took the fun out of this, and made puppies cry!

Posted by Kyleen | June 25, 2008 1:14 PM
5

Alas, the puppies, shorn of fur, bereft of succor, lost to myrrh, did wane as passing days incurred.

A book not made into movie yet, can often be your fondest pet, but billboardless and lacking ads, can never reach the scholars' nads.

Seek not the holy grail of lit, but ask yourself, where comes this tit? This bird of bounce which sits on branch, is oft mistaken by those obsessed with ants.

...

now sod off.

Posted by Will in Seattle | June 25, 2008 1:20 PM
6

My only complaint is that there aren't enough, I want more summations! :D

Posted by Nay | June 25, 2008 2:04 PM
7

And your breath smells like fish.

Posted by Vince | June 25, 2008 3:03 PM
8

Sushi is the breath of life, I seek it as I leave my wife, Leviathan I cry to thee, and waste my life upon the sea.

Hark, what beast dost glimmer white, tis Moby Dick, give me a knife! Harpoon instead I take in stride, this peg for leg shall find me hale.

And now adrift my sailors few, for killing the beast, did make them stew.

Posted by Will in Seattle | June 25, 2008 3:28 PM
9

#6 - agree. Those were great, especially 1984.

Posted by Dougsf | June 25, 2008 5:11 PM
10

Totally agree that there need to be more. "Oh, rats!"

Hee hee.

Posted by Julie | June 25, 2008 7:19 PM

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