I don't think it's a matter of siding with either Lot or Lot's wife, but the wife is the richer character because her intentions (in looking back) were left a mystery. There's so much space for speculation and, well, poetry. Lot, on the other hand, had to turn tail and run. Pretty straightforward. The poetry is in the mystery, I think.
Thanks for the poems, OP. I especially like Akhmatova's, and the knife edge it gains in that particular woman's voice. There's actually a rich discussion going on in that thread re: Lot's wife's character.
Sorry to have rambled! I love your icon; Fables is such a favorite of mine. :)
Every time you post one I do find it especially striking. I always really enjoy things that explore the other side of the story, such as fairy tales or common stories that are told from the "villains" perspective. There are two sides to every story.
I remain fascinated by the progression of 'Lot's Wife' poetry. We've had a some quite polarised discussions of previous examples in the past, generally regarding the sentimentalising of sin versus obedience to God, the dichotomy of which seems to appear in each of these poems. I find them all quite good, but I still think that the power and anger of What Lot's Wife Would Have Said (If She Wasn't a Pillar of Salt) best expresses the intended sentiment. The other two poems seem docile, gently sorrowful, whereas Finneyfrock's work turns the condemnation right back onto Lot and his god.
I've always liked this quote by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. in Slaughterhouse-Five:
"And Lot's wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human. So she was turned to a pillar of salt. So it goes."
A great quote. I'm particularly fond of the laconic nature of so it goes--as if people were turned to pillars of salt every day. And in a metaphorical sense they are--for exercising free will, for thinking for themselves. So it goes. :)
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Thanks for the poems, OP. I especially like Akhmatova's, and the knife edge it gains in that particular woman's voice. There's actually a rich discussion going on in that thread re: Lot's wife's character.
Sorry to have rambled! I love your icon; Fables is such a favorite of mine. :)
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"And Lot's wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human. So she was turned to a pillar of salt. So it goes."
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