[lit-ideas] "I shall have an Augean stable to clean there" (Schuyler) --implicature embedded
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:07:14 EDT
Reading more about the story in
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurystheus_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurystheus)
as per below.
It seems that there are various (embedded) implicatures to deal with here:
-- it's not just an almost impossible task but
-- a task deemed by most to degrade the person undertaking it.
-- it was a task which was not dutifully payed.
-- it was not really a task of _cleaning_, since this was done by the rivers
that Herakles rerouted. So Herakles made at most the _rivers_ to clean the
stable.
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augeas_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augeas)
"The success of this labor was ultimately discounted because the rushing
waters had done the work of cleaning the stables."
So the implicature may possible be that the utterer (Schuyler) will use a
_third-party_ to complete his task.
If one continues, possibly Schuyler is saying he's prepared to _kill_. In any
case, Herakles ends up killing Augeias for failing to pay him.
Who _Schuyler_ and how did he have such moxie (cheek) to think that a little
political boy's game can compare to the wise sophrosyne of a demi-god,
steeped in legend as it was.
Note that Schuyler uses the 'shall', so perhaps he's expecting a reply along
the line, "You are right -- you possibly should not even try it".
Cheers,
JL
----
"The fifth labour proposed by Eurystheus was to clear out the numerous tables
of Augeias. Striking a deal with Augeias, Heracles proposed a payment of
1/10th Augeias' cattle if the labour was completed successfully. Not believing
the task feasible, Augeias agreed, asking his son Phyleus to witness. Heracles
rerouted two nearby rivers (Alpheiso and Peneios) through the stable,
clearing out the dung rapidly. When Augeias learned of Heracles' other motives
for
the task, he refused payment. Heracles brought the case to court, and Phyleus
testified against his father. Enraged, Augeias banished both Phyleus and
Heracles from the land before the court had cast vote. However, Eurystheus
refused to credit the labour to Heracles, as he performed it for extraneous
payment."
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