[lit-ideas] "Hellenism" as a inappropriate, rude, code word
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:44:13 EST
Why Hellenism is Rude.
--- written earlier, but distributed now.
I have now done some research into "Graikos" and like it.
In England, "hellenic" was never too popular, but rather rude and a code
word for political intervention in Greek affairs.
Also, never a book was published "Grammatica Hellenica" in England. It was
_always_ "Grammatica Graeca". At Eton, they don't even call it _Greek_, for
what they have in the
curriculum is "Classics" -- as per stuff for a good _class_. It would be
ignorant to refer
to things like "Latin _language_" or "Greek _language_". Surely a classics
teacher was
teaching _morals_ and forming character.
R. Paul:
"On the other
hand, the title of the umpires at the Olympian Games, hellanodikai, if
early, may indicate that the spread of the name had something to do with
those games."
One problem with R. Paul's theory is that "Hellenism" is rude. I mean, it
was a rude word back in Victorian Oxford. Mainly due to Byron's bad propaganda.
He was pro-hellenic, and Hellenism came to be associated with "Greece" as a
'new republic' seeking freedom from the Turks.
In the good old days it's only _Graecus_ that's used, as in the good old
Loeb, "Lyra Graeca" (4 vols) now sillily translated as "Greek Lyrics".
Talking of Geary's "Turks", I am reminded of Burchfield's book on the OED.
He notes that "Turk" was once defined by the OED as a 'wild, savage person',
and Burchfield has a whole chapter -- in this book published by Faber -- on
how
politically incorrect the OED can be.
On the other hand, I'm reminded of the Queen of England:
To the Hellenic ambassador:
You're from Athens, I s'ppose.
Ambassador: No, I'm a Lesbian.
Agammenon is one of my favourite heros, and his wife was a slut. I'm warmed
by Oreistes's philosophical remark,
"Don't look at me as someone who's killed his mother;
look at me as a son who's restored his father's honour."
Wiser words were seldom uttered.
Cheers,
JL
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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