I was hitherto unfamiliar with The Satyricon by Petronius. On my good reads I gave this 80p Penguin Classics a so-so rating. This was because the satire was particularly blunt and it felt a bit overdone. Second, it was because of my unfamiliarity with Petronius. So I've put his complete book on my to read list and hope that it has a little more oomph than this section of the whole book.
But that said, it was enjoyable and there were a few things I rather enjoyed in it. I liked Trimalchio's extravagance when he said "Wine has a longer life than us poor folks. So let's wet our whistles" (Petronius, 8).
I don't pay much attention (or give any worth) to astrological readings, but every now and then I find a capricorn reading to be mildly humorous when I apply it to my circumstances. "Under Capricorn, people in trouble who sprout horns through their worries" (Petronius, 15). I might be myself a little devilish under worries...
A funny line that was actually a little more subtle in the satire than the rest was, "I damned my own stupidity and asked no more questions in case I looked like someone who had never dined in decent company" (Petronius, 16).
"People today are lions at home and foxes outside" (Petronius, 19). That's funny.
"Nobody believes in heaven, see, nobody fasts, nobody gives a damn for the Almighty. No, people only bow their heads to count their money" (Petronius, 20). This was probably the best piece of satire in the book. Here we have people living lavish lives condemning the lavishness of the common folk. Hypocritical and timeless. It could be leveled against a number of the pious today.
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