Max Rose > Recent Status Updates

Almost done. So many mixed feelings. Kind of agree with the author for the most part but I also find his style of argumentation very annoying. Let’s see if he redeems this book in the final chapter.

Good chapter on the 2015 movie, The Witch.

Another chapter on cancel culture

I’m starting to get annoyed with the author lol. I feel like he’d be insufferable in an argument. I track with him in general, but he has a habit of asking “where do you draw the line?” with the implication that the best course of action is doing nothing or having no opinion of art except that “it’s subjective”. Ok thanks for nothing. I still sympathize with him but the reading can be a little annoying

Lots of pages covering the idea, “just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s not art”. I get it bro, time to move on. 120 pages in and I don’t have a clear idea of art the author wants Christian’s to make or celebrate.

Snapping my fingers every other paragraph like I’m at a poetry reading. This is legit

Great chapter unpacking the idea of God as an artist and a patron/commissioner (the latter proven by the creativity he commands in the creation of the Ark and the temple)

Off to a great start

Very intriguing for me personally that this starts off talking about the “Piss Christ” photo. I remember my dad referencing it over the years a dozen times as the quintessential example of non-art. I’m guessing he doesn’t know the artist is a Christian himself haha

Seems harder to read than Macbeth was for me but idk, that was a while ago. Act 3—where the four Athenians all meet up and argue—is absolutely brilliant! No wonder we’re still performing it today.

A little hard to understand but I just try to cruise on through. Tons of helpful notes though if you’re so inclined.

Can’t help but laugh at the melodrama of Hermia and Helena. Wonder what original audiences thought.

Whoa! Unexpected plot

Loving this

Thought things might be going off the rails for a bit with Siddhartha pursuing women and business like a finance bro but then it all circled back around nicely to his search for The Truth. Will he find it?

Very easy read but lots to think about.

Captures the internal monologue about spiritual questions really well.

Fascinating. I think I’m gonna love this. Already a ton of banger quotes.

It’s good again!

Almost done! Really like the chapter where everyone competes to string the bow. Whole time I wasn’t quite sure if they meant drawing the bow back with an arrow or literally attaching the string. Once its Odysseus’ turn though, I understood they were all literally straying to attach the string. Hopefully for the movie they take some liberty and instead of stringing the bow they all attempt to “draw the bow”

Almost done! Really like the chapter where everyone competes to string the bow. Whole time I wasn’t quite sure if they meant drawing the bow back with an arrow or literally attaching the string. Once its Odysseus’ turn though, I understood they were all literally straying to attach the string. Hopefully for the movie they take some liberty and instead of stringing the bow they all attempt to “draw the bow”

Everyone is so dramatic in these stories. So much crying, so many kisses, so much talk about how distraught over Odysseus someone is. Lol

Still 100 pages left, wow.

I actually like some of these chapters with the suitors in isolation, it’s just taken some time getting used to the new pace of the story. This last chapter with Odysseus boxing the beggar and taunting the suitors was pretty fun to read tbh.

I wouldn’t say these chapters are useless, but I wish this amount of detail, storytelling, and character building had gone in to the chapters during Odysseus’ journey instead of his return. The famous journey home is all starting to feel like a prelude to all the drama with the suitors, which appears to be the real story Homer wanted to spend time on.

Finally a great chapter again! Loved Odysseus reuniting with Telemachus. They start plotting how to deal with the suitors and I like how Odysseus asks his son for advice or at least some details about the situation. And you can see both their personalities in the plotting too.

One other thing, many times when the swineherd Eumeaus is mentioned, the book will switch to first person as if talking to Eumaeus. Weird.

Much better than the last chapter but most modern books would be using this time to build up to something big and the momentum would really be churning but the Odyssey is really taking its time.

Utterly useless chapter. Odysseus meets up with his swine herd while disguised and when the swine herd asks him who he is and where he came from, Odysseus tells a made up story with nearly as much detail as he did the exciting tales that actually happened! What are we doing here? 4 pages on a alibi that will never come up again?? Bruh.