Thursday, November 13, 2008
At Large Pilgrims Progress
Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, Nov 13, 2008 at 1:49 PM
When in Rome...
When in New York City...
There's a large bronze lady opposite this large bronze man in the lobby of the Time Warner Center. Her genitals have not been touched by millions of pilgrims.
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3
Wait... this statue should be facing 90 degrees counter-clockwise toward the main entrance on Columbus Circle. his back should be to toward the Borders. How did you do that??? Did he move??
6
People used to *kiss* the foot of that statue.
Typhus an cholera were thus spread in fact.
In fiction, this from Isak Dineson:
Of the twelve stories. The Cardinal's Third Tale makes its Gothic point with perhaps the neatest and most ironic flourish. Lady Flora Gordon, a handsome Scotswoman of giant size, impressive intellect and unassailable chastity, meets in Rome a gentle, saintly priest who tries desperately to root out "her utter disbelief and her utter contempt of Heaven and Earth.'' When arguments fail, he finally confronts her with the brooding, majestic statue of St. Peter in the Vatican, a figure so noble in size and concept that it dwarfs even Lady Flora's proud body and arrogant mind. She comes daily to stand in communion with the statue and watch the devout worshipers kiss St. Peter's foot. One day a rude man of the people catches her attention because "he stood still so long with his mouth against St. Peter's foot." When he moves on. Lady Flora is impelled to kiss the saintly toe as well. Her reward, however, is not faith but syphilis.
Typhus an cholera were thus spread in fact.
In fiction, this from Isak Dineson:
Of the twelve stories. The Cardinal's Third Tale makes its Gothic point with perhaps the neatest and most ironic flourish. Lady Flora Gordon, a handsome Scotswoman of giant size, impressive intellect and unassailable chastity, meets in Rome a gentle, saintly priest who tries desperately to root out "her utter disbelief and her utter contempt of Heaven and Earth.'' When arguments fail, he finally confronts her with the brooding, majestic statue of St. Peter in the Vatican, a figure so noble in size and concept that it dwarfs even Lady Flora's proud body and arrogant mind. She comes daily to stand in communion with the statue and watch the devout worshipers kiss St. Peter's foot. One day a rude man of the people catches her attention because "he stood still so long with his mouth against St. Peter's foot." When he moves on. Lady Flora is impelled to kiss the saintly toe as well. Her reward, however, is not faith but syphilis.
7
Lots of astronauts have walked on the moon, and yet the orange moon in the sky at 4:45 pm today looks way cooler and pristine still.
Your point?
Your point?
10
I can totally understand trying to reach out and touch the supernatural - hoping to achieve some tiny shred of spiritual enlightenment, only to be disappointed with the empty feeling that you've only succeeded in touching cold, unfeeling brass.
It's a lot like searching for a top in Seattle.
It's a lot like searching for a top in Seattle.
12
don't forget about the tradition of rubbing the bronze crotch of the victor noir grave at the pere la chaise cemetery in paris. much bigger bulge than mr. new york's.
13
the statues are by Botero, no? we do not touch them, because we do not believe touching them infuses us with holiness. instead, merely looking at them reminds us to go home, and re-read his book of drawings on Abu Ghraib.
http://www.slate.com/id/2153674/
this reminds us we are fallen. no amount of icon touching can infuse is with anything after such a horror.
@montex - there are tops littering this town. is your point that most of them, like most people, are average, which is to say, flawed and imperfect?
http://www.slate.com/id/2153674/
this reminds us we are fallen. no amount of icon touching can infuse is with anything after such a horror.
@montex - there are tops littering this town. is your point that most of them, like most people, are average, which is to say, flawed and imperfect?
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