Paul’s review of All Hallows' Eve > Likes and Comments
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Okay... looking at that passage...
As he went the Jewish quality in his face seemed to deepen; the occasional policemen whom he passed thought they saw a Jew walking by night.
So Clerk Simon (Jew Cultist Extradanire) is walking about at night, and he's looking more Jewish by the minute. The Jewish quality might be phenotypical or spiritual. A few policemen notice him and are like -thats a jew-.
Indeed that august race had reached in this being its second climax. Two thousand years of its history were drawing to a close; until this thing had happened it could not be free. Its priesthood—the priesthood of a nation—had been since Abraham determined to one End. But when, after other terrible wars had shaken the Roman peace, and armies had moved over Europe, and Caesar (being all that Caesar could be) had been stabbed in his own central place, when then that End had been born, they were not aware of that End. It had been proposed that their lofty tradition should be made almost unbearably august; that they should be made the blood companions of their Maker, the own peculiar house and family of its Incarnacy—no more than the Gentiles in the free equality of souls, but much more in the single hierarchy of kindred flesh. But deception had taken them; they had, bidding a scaffold for the blasphemer, destroyed their predestined conclusion, and the race which had been set for the salvation of the world became a judgment and even a curse to the world and to themselves.
Ookay...so since Abraham, the Jewish priesthood had had one end to their own exstience in mind. When Jesus was born, he was the kind of ending(to their own exstience) they wanted, but they didn't like his talk of spiritual equality with non-hebrews, so y'know the story of Jesus. With the death of Jesus the Jews become a curse unto the world when they were meant to be the salvation. Indeed that august race had reached in this being its second climax. I guess Clerk Simon is the salvation number two of the Hebrew race, after Jesus didn't do the job.
Yet the oaths sworn in heaven remained. It had been a Jewish girl who, at the command of the Voice which sounded in her ears, in her heart, along her blood, and through the central cells of her body, had uttered everywhere in herself the perfect Tetragrammaton. What the high priest vicariously spoke among the secluded mysteries of the Temple, she substantially pronounced to God. Redeemed from all division in herself, whole and identical in body and soul and spirit, she uttered the Word and the Word became flesh in her. Could It have been received by her own people, the grand Judean gate would have been opened for all peoples. It could not. They remained alien—to It and to all, and all to them and—too much!—to It.
???????? This text defeats me
They remained alien—to It and to all, and all to them and—too much!—to It. The Gentiles, summoned by that other Jew of Tarsus, could not bear their vicarious office. Bragging themselves to be the new Israel, they slandered and slew the old, and the old despised and hated the bragging new.
Jews are alien to all. Christains, (Jew of Tarsus means Paul) can't stand Jews. Christains call themselves the New Israel, and slander hebrews. (something something epistemic/religious/cultural appropriation.). Jews aren't too fond of Christains either.
Till at last there rose in Europe something which was neither, and set itself to destroy both.
I'm guessing that this refers to Clerk Simmons, though if the author is well-read and informed in his antijudaism, he might know that Ashkenazi have their ethnogenesis in Hebrews in Europe mixing with the native Europeans. So in the context that would mean that he's saying that Ashkenazi as a racial group set themselves out to destroy both Hebrews and Europeans. Or most likely, this is the cult Simmons leads.
I always devour your reviews, either because I've now got another recommended book to explore that I otherwise would never have run across, or because I am safely - but oh-so-deliciously-snidely - spared accidentally reading terrible stuff while getting to enjoy a total witty dump on it. Thank you, Paul!
I second Rebecca's vote: Thanks for the warning, Paul. I knew this book was not for me when you invoked late-stage "pompously obfuscatory" Henry James as a warning. Ouch!
As a palate cleanser, I recommend the sequels to The End of Vandalism by the plainspoken poet of ordinary life, Tom Drury: Hunts in Dreams and Pacific. Thanks again for introducing me to this great writer.
Thanks very much Rebecca and Ray and I will grab those Tom Drurys for sure....
Dettabey - wonderful comment, a very brave attempt and I almost agree with your divinings - had to laugh at ???????? This text defeats me - it's like he just smoked too much opium but not in England in 1945.
Paul, I adore your reviews and this one does not disappoint. However, while giggling madly, I did find myself wondering what on earth possessed you to pick this book up in the first place…I know that you have been going down a Hensher rabbit-hole (dirty job, but someone’s got to do it etc etc) but surely at some point, such an endeavor becomes a wee bit masochistic?
Correction: I understand why you picked it up, I suppose I wonder how you managed to stay on the saddle for so long…😂
I just put my trust in Prof Hensher and gee, look what happened! I think I get seduced by what appears offbeat and weird and this one was that alright..... but not in a good way. And being a good student I really tried hard to finish this thing. But I couldn't, I just couldn't. 😂
Read his war in heaven back in college. You may find it better.
Paul wrote: "Thanks very much Rebecca and Ray and I will grab those Tom Drurys for sure....
Dettabey - wonderful comment, a very brave attempt and I almost agree with your divinings - had to laugh at ???????? ..."
<3
a fine, fine review start re: book that earns it.
Very fun review, although you failed inasmuch as I weirdly want to read it now.
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Okay... looking at that passage...As he went the Jewish quality in his face seemed to deepen; the occasional policemen whom he passed thought they saw a Jew walking by night.
So Clerk Simon (Jew Cultist Extradanire) is walking about at night, and he's looking more Jewish by the minute. The Jewish quality might be phenotypical or spiritual. A few policemen notice him and are like -thats a jew-.
Indeed that august race had reached in this being its second climax. Two thousand years of its history were drawing to a close; until this thing had happened it could not be free. Its priesthood—the priesthood of a nation—had been since Abraham determined to one End. But when, after other terrible wars had shaken the Roman peace, and armies had moved over Europe, and Caesar (being all that Caesar could be) had been stabbed in his own central place, when then that End had been born, they were not aware of that End. It had been proposed that their lofty tradition should be made almost unbearably august; that they should be made the blood companions of their Maker, the own peculiar house and family of its Incarnacy—no more than the Gentiles in the free equality of souls, but much more in the single hierarchy of kindred flesh. But deception had taken them; they had, bidding a scaffold for the blasphemer, destroyed their predestined conclusion, and the race which had been set for the salvation of the world became a judgment and even a curse to the world and to themselves.
Ookay...so since Abraham, the Jewish priesthood had had one end to their own exstience in mind. When Jesus was born, he was the kind of ending(to their own exstience) they wanted, but they didn't like his talk of spiritual equality with non-hebrews, so y'know the story of Jesus. With the death of Jesus the Jews become a curse unto the world when they were meant to be the salvation. Indeed that august race had reached in this being its second climax. I guess Clerk Simon is the salvation number two of the Hebrew race, after Jesus didn't do the job.
Yet the oaths sworn in heaven remained. It had been a Jewish girl who, at the command of the Voice which sounded in her ears, in her heart, along her blood, and through the central cells of her body, had uttered everywhere in herself the perfect Tetragrammaton. What the high priest vicariously spoke among the secluded mysteries of the Temple, she substantially pronounced to God. Redeemed from all division in herself, whole and identical in body and soul and spirit, she uttered the Word and the Word became flesh in her. Could It have been received by her own people, the grand Judean gate would have been opened for all peoples. It could not. They remained alien—to It and to all, and all to them and—too much!—to It.
???????? This text defeats me
They remained alien—to It and to all, and all to them and—too much!—to It. The Gentiles, summoned by that other Jew of Tarsus, could not bear their vicarious office. Bragging themselves to be the new Israel, they slandered and slew the old, and the old despised and hated the bragging new.
Jews are alien to all. Christains, (Jew of Tarsus means Paul) can't stand Jews. Christains call themselves the New Israel, and slander hebrews. (something something epistemic/religious/cultural appropriation.). Jews aren't too fond of Christains either.
Till at last there rose in Europe something which was neither, and set itself to destroy both.
I'm guessing that this refers to Clerk Simmons, though if the author is well-read and informed in his antijudaism, he might know that Ashkenazi have their ethnogenesis in Hebrews in Europe mixing with the native Europeans. So in the context that would mean that he's saying that Ashkenazi as a racial group set themselves out to destroy both Hebrews and Europeans. Or most likely, this is the cult Simmons leads.
I always devour your reviews, either because I've now got another recommended book to explore that I otherwise would never have run across, or because I am safely - but oh-so-deliciously-snidely - spared accidentally reading terrible stuff while getting to enjoy a total witty dump on it. Thank you, Paul!
I second Rebecca's vote: Thanks for the warning, Paul. I knew this book was not for me when you invoked late-stage "pompously obfuscatory" Henry James as a warning. Ouch!As a palate cleanser, I recommend the sequels to The End of Vandalism by the plainspoken poet of ordinary life, Tom Drury: Hunts in Dreams and Pacific. Thanks again for introducing me to this great writer.
Thanks very much Rebecca and Ray and I will grab those Tom Drurys for sure....Dettabey - wonderful comment, a very brave attempt and I almost agree with your divinings - had to laugh at ???????? This text defeats me - it's like he just smoked too much opium but not in England in 1945.
Paul, I adore your reviews and this one does not disappoint. However, while giggling madly, I did find myself wondering what on earth possessed you to pick this book up in the first place…I know that you have been going down a Hensher rabbit-hole (dirty job, but someone’s got to do it etc etc) but surely at some point, such an endeavor becomes a wee bit masochistic?
Correction: I understand why you picked it up, I suppose I wonder how you managed to stay on the saddle for so long…😂
I just put my trust in Prof Hensher and gee, look what happened! I think I get seduced by what appears offbeat and weird and this one was that alright..... but not in a good way. And being a good student I really tried hard to finish this thing. But I couldn't, I just couldn't. 😂
Read his war in heaven back in college. You may find it better.
Paul wrote: "Thanks very much Rebecca and Ray and I will grab those Tom Drurys for sure....Dettabey - wonderful comment, a very brave attempt and I almost agree with your divinings - had to laugh at ???????? ..."
<3
a fine, fine review start re: book that earns it.
Very fun review, although you failed inasmuch as I weirdly want to read it now.
For a moment, I got anxious that you are trashing one of my top pulp writers, but I'm glad to find out this is a different Williams than the one who wrote The Hot Spot and Dead Calm, both turned into movies