Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography

Rating:
Summary: Shattuck should make up his mind
Review: This book has been summarized already by previous reviewers, so I won't rehash that. I agree with the reader from Austin that this book was very disappointing. To me, it seemed as if Shattuck couldn't decide whether the book should be literary criticism or historical overview or a chance for him to air out his morals. He tried to do all three at once, resulting in a bit of a mess. He kept switching back and forth between objective history lesson and subjective moralizing to the point where the points he professed to be trying to make became somewhat lost and pointless. The objective bits were dry and boring and the moralizing was condescending and annoying and insulting to the reader.

Rating:
Summary: Shattuck is a fascinating writer and thinker
Review: Via an in depth discussion of diverse works of literature, the author has thoroughly explored the dichotomy's of: life/death, virtue/vice, indulgence/abstinence and justice/injustice - in our world. His best work is when he traces the 'streams of thought' from what was originally composed through the adulterations and embellishments of revisionists; and shows us how concepts that we take for granted (in the 21st century) are caricatures of the original. Moreover, he asks probing questions about the advances of science/technology and the level of our ethical development (read, lack of development) and posits that we know too much too soon; and are 'playing with fire' as a consequence. A must reading for any serious thinker.