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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Interesting piece, David. I noticed that you didn’t capitalize “God.” Why was that?

Also, I’ve never read “Paradise Lost,” and now I want to.

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David Roberts's avatar

Great question about capitalization.

I think when god is presented as a "character" in fiction, I'm more comfortable not capitalizing, in part because many Jews write it as G-D and in part Milton's god has powers and even a personality that are very specific to the story.

Milton capitalizes it, so perhaps I ought to have done so.

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

Thanks. I figured you had a reason, and I was just curious.

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DANIEL ROBERTS's avatar

Beautiful essay. Would you characterize Michael Corleone as a charismatic "devil"?

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David Roberts's avatar

Absolutely. Once he's the "Don," he dominates almost any room or setting he walks into. And every other man wants to please him, with the exception of Hyman Roth.

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Josh Blumenthal's avatar

But do they want to please him due to charisma or simply to win favor with the top dog, he who holds the power?

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Josh Blumenthal's avatar

I suspect our fascination with the bad guys and our preoccupation with bad news are related, and maybe that is Satan's win, though as the saying goes, he won the battle but not the war, because we survive.

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