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Man, and I thought the New Testament was whack. . . .
Don’t you remember the myth, Justin, how Zeus in the form of a golden shower descends upon the virgin daughter of King Argos, Danaë, from whom Perseus then subsequently issues forth?
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A "golden shower"? Wow.
Thanks to Messrs. Merriam and Webster for capturing for posterity what most folks, except maybe this author, seem to know:
Main Entry:golden shower
Function:noun
Date:1968
: the act of urinating on another person usually as part of a sex act
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The proofs I worked on arrived at the press on June 17, and the following email exchange ensued, with the title, "Zeus & Danaë, per Klimt."
Managing Editor: Interpret as you will. /D
LandonDemand: Huh.
When I checked some references, they all referred to a shower of gold, which
this could depict. However, that's different from a golden shower. If, indeed,
this is showing a golden shower, then Zeus must have consumed a godlike amount
of Nepenthe before delivering it.
Managing Editor: hey, he’s a god; his capacities are infinite, including his capacity for perversion (ask Leda & Io, to name just a couple)
LandonDemand: But
I'm keeping an open mind.
Managing Editor: always important when dealing w/
a deity
LandonDemand: So,
ultimately, the phrase "golden shower" and its present-day
connotation was entirely willful and intentional on the author's part? Was the
"shower of gold" I read numerous references to just an obfuscation /
G-rated version of the original text?
Managing Editor: let it go, Bob; you’ve done your
job, and I appreciate it. Google results for “golden shower” (in quotation
marks) + Danae: 41K hits; for “shower of gold” + Danae, 29K hits. Moreover,
most readers of this book—probably the vast majority of readers of this book—will
be blissfully ignorant of any naughty meaning. And if you change it to “of
gold,” you have two “of” phrases in rapid succession, and it’s simply not
reworking further to protect a reader from naughtiness. In fact, I applaud a
little subversive naughtiness.
LandonDemand: Thanks. I'm just trying to fill in the education I missed all along the way.
Managing Editor: as are we all—or should be anyway. I just learned that New Hampshire and Vermont are so topographically different because each is from a different continent, which smushed together and then split again, leaving a different landmass mix.
LandonDemand: That might explain the Manchester Union-Leader in one state and Bernie Sanders next door.
Managing Editor: That’s what one of my fellow managing editors said, only in less polite terms.
Or, perhaps, the author is just very very subversive.
ReplyDeleteJudging from his faculty website and the tone of the rest of his writing, I think he falls into the wide and deep pool of overeducated and completely clueless. I'll be curious to see if I get a response from the managing editor when he sees the query. IF this was intentional, let's just say it was one of the far subtler moments of humor in a book that included precious little of it.
ReplyDelete