Catullus sees beauty physically. Looks matter the most when he’s judging the two girls. He is shallow in judging the two when he says there is “no spice” in Quintia, while “summing up” all that constitutes for Lesbia’s beauty. Inner beauty is not taken into account.
2.
In #33 Catullus open suggests to his Ipsitilla to get ready for his arrival home so that they can have sex. Again this shows Catullus’s bluntness when he speaks about women. He is in charge and holds the power. In my opinion he is insensitive. In #41 Catullus speaks of a prostitute with whom he’s had an encounter with. She is ugly and crazy in his eyes. Catullus does not feel bad for this prostitute who seems to be sick and needs some kind of medical attention. He simply rambles off about how ugly she is. In #43 Catullus is once again insensitive to a woman. She’s ugly to him because she isn’t beautiful physically. He still sees outer beauty instead of inner, and compares all women to Lesbia – the most beautiful woman to him, instead of seeing the good in every person individually.
Yes, his social commentary is valuable for modern times. In reality people have not advanced as much as we think. Men still think that they’re in control of women in their love lives and expect to get some when they get home. If you aren’t beautiful on the outside its hard for someone to fall in love with you because of all the shallow men out there like Catullus. However physical attraction does have a lot to do with a relationship.3. You need to love yourself, discover yourself before you can ever be with another.It's about being comfortable in your own skin before falling for some one else. Romantic love is selfless. It is being yourself no matter what and allowing the other person to be who they are. It's about trust and respect before love really comes into play.
6 comments:
I think the solution to finding a lover for an unattractive woman or man is to look for someone different. They could maybe go to a different country with abundant men or women that could potentially be attracted to them. Another solution would be to get rid of the traditional thinking about what is the perfect man or woman. That is, find beauty in non-traditional ways such as try larger women or skinnier men or vice versa.
I understand how you came to the conclusion that Catullus is insensitive but i have to disagree when it comes to poem 32. In the poem he does want the female to stay in and wait for him to arrive so that they may have sex. But he is not giving an order, he is begging. He even says "if you want it, give the order". He totally gives her the control in this situation. Therefore i don't really think this is being insensitive.
Bacdoor..what do you mean when you say "they could go to a different country?"What nonsense is that?
Why someone who is not beautiful enough should change his residence to find love? I can accept your second solution...Getting rid of formulas that defines what beauty is..Actually this is why Catullys was using all those mathematical terms in describing Lesbia's body since even in those times beauty was defined and standardized...And unfortunately who does not fall into these standards is now allowed to find love? Thank god there are still people out there who goese beyond standards of beauty.Each of us is beautiful in his own way.
I feel that inner beauty is not mentioned because Cattulus is actually being HUMAN. Physical appearence is the first trait that one percieves, and I feel that in todays society is often times overlooked. While it is not the most important trait, one is entitled to be perfect woman. He has is own standards for beauty, and there should be someone that fits his description. I see why you say he is insensitive, but I see him as a controversial comedian that says something jarring but in the back of your mind you say " thats so TRUE". Alot of the things he says appeals to the primitive mind because it seems to be driven off of personal emotional impulse.
You're saying,
"If you aren’t beautiful on the outside its hard for someone to fall in love with you because of all the shallow men out there like Catullus. However physical attraction does have a lot to do with a relationship."
If physical attraction plays a big part in the forming of a relationship like you say, why are men who are interested in beautiful women denigrated as being shallow? Are they only being shallow when all they care about are your looks?
To be honest, if a man isn't interested in a female past her looks, she's probably lacking in the personality department.
If a girl has a great personality but ain't that attractive, she should be hitting the gym more often. We guys want the full package, and to settle for less should be a crime.
Actually Jonathan, the same thing as you said about women is valid also for men...If a man has a great personality but ain't that attractive, he should be hitting the gym more often. We girls want the full package, and to settle for less should be a crime.
Beside I do think only man who are not that good looking always look for beautiful perfect women so that they can feel more self confident. I find good looking man are less shallow since they are more self confident about their physical aspect and they often fall in love with less attractive women...
I do agree though that especially nowadays and in a city like NY the whole story about inner beauty is BS.. Everyone both males and females are looking for hot and good looking partners!
Post a Comment