The Importance of Reading Ernest discussion

Here is the place to talk about bullfighting. I imagine there will be talk about bullfighting in the story, about Hemingway and bullfighting and even about the ethics of bullfighting. Let 'er rip!

Hi Brad, great idea for a thread! Doesn't modern day bullfighting come down from the Mithraic cult? That's as old as western civilization. I can't remember if Hemingway mentions that in Death in the Afternoon, but it is the type of fact he would know. lol.

The ethics? Whew, how can modern Americans hope to judge the ethics of an entire culture, especially when it reaches back into the mists of time?

This should be a booming thread.

Mithraic cult? Sweet. Add some links for us, Stephen.

Will do sir, but I'm about to go out for a couple of hours. Count on it!

The excavations at Knossos on the island of Crete, for example, have revealed ancient Minoan frescoes (c. 1500 BC) depicting games with bulls in which young people of both sexes are shown grabbing the animals' horns and vaulting over them. From http://www.matadorjaimebravo.com/Bull...

Bullfighting is not new. Its roots are based in the prehistoric bull worship and sacrifice. The killing of the sacred bull was an essential part of Mithras, commemorated where Roman soldiers were stationed. In fact, many of the oldest bullrings in Spain are located near temples dedicated to Mithras. from http://www.mexicologue.com/bullfights...

Of course, the ever famous Wiki

The Cosmic Mysteries of Mithras

interesting stuff, stephen. i mean another example of this is the gladiators, and throwing the christians to the lions in the coliseum in rome. spectactor sport. blood, guts,and death.

the competition, the thrill of the kill.... isn't that also why hemingway enjoyed watching bullfighting,and hunted in the wilds of africa,and fished in the caribbean sea?

Gary wrote: "the competition, the thrill of the kill.... isn't that also why hemingway enjoyed watching bullfighting,and hunted in the wilds of africa,and fished in the caribbean sea?"

I think so, yes. If not the kill, then certainly the chase.

yes, the chase,and in this story, a fuck up, that turns out differently then expected, due to playing around, or horsing around, that's gone bad, so to speak.

yes, i can speak and write english, most of the time! lol!

accident? murder? mayhem? discussion?

Definitely accident.