Thursday, December 17, 2015

The Reading Of Antigone

The book Antigone was definitely NOT my kind of reading material.  It was bad enough I had to read it, let alone read two translations!  One by David Mulroy and the other by Anne Carson.  Its about a tragedy written in or before 441 BC.  I couldn't pronounce half the names in the book!
The book Antigone, deals with three main questions.  Whether Polynices ought to be given burial rituals.  Whether someone who buried him in defiance of state ought to be punished.  Lastly whether Creon's actions are just or thoughtless.  Antigone's love for family is shown when she buries her brother Polynices. So much death in this book.  Two brother's Eteocles and Polynices died fighting each other for the throne.  Haemon, Anitgone's cousin and fiancee, kills himself when he found out his beloved Antigone had hanged herself.  And lastly, Eurydice of Thebes, the Queen of Thebes and mother of Haemon, commits suicide when she learns of her son's death.
In the oldest version of the story, the burial of Polynices takes place during Oedipus' reign in Thebes, before Oedipus marries his mother, Jocasta.  When the truth was discovered, his wife/mother hanged herself and Oedipus gouged out his own eyes.  They had four children.   It was down right depressing!!!  What began as an all women's group turned into a couples group, which I like.  Interesting to see the different opinions when discussing the book.    The mistake was they let a man choose the book.  Some in the group, Stone in particular, couldn't make themselves get through the first book,  let alone both.   This, I understand. It was a struggle, but I was determined.

Book Club
Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies-Spiral Shortbread Cookies-Ultimate Snow Capped Gingersnaps-Iced Lemon Cookies.

I was the host this month, so I decided to make an Italian Pot Roast, using The Pioneer Woman's recipe.  Since this recipe is served on top of egg noodles, I thought I would try my hand at making homemade pasta, it was so easy.  In fact, it was so fun that I made some of the bow tie pasta for my three daughters and took while on a recent visit. 

Egg Noodles
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon milk
Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt.  Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter.  Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes.  Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.
Using your kitchen aide pasta maker roll out your sheets, then cut them into 2X2" squares and pinch together tightly.  
Allow to air dry before cooking.
To cook pasta, fill a large pot with water that salt has been added.  Bring to a boil, then add pasta and cook until al dente.  Homemade pasta cooks fasted than store bought!

Stone and I are ready to get this party started.




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