My name is Eric Chan and in the class "Violence in Art and Culture" we are currently reading the book Caesar's Column by Ignatius L. Donnely. As a class, we are also analyzing some of the recurring themes and ideas that spring up throughout the book. In particular one passage we analyzed involved the protagonist walking through the Prince's home and being struck by how extravagent it was, especially when compared to the extreme poverty he had previously witnessed. He has a moment where he could, "could hear the volcanic explosions; I could see the sordid flood of wrath and hunger pouring through these halls; cataracts of misery bursting through every door and window, and sweeping away all this splendor into never-ending blackness and ruin." 

Based on this passage we concluded that an idea the author was trying to convey was that violence occurs as a direct result of increasing inequity as well as oppression from the rich and the powerful. In addition as oppression worsens and misery grows, this unrest of the masses will eventually boil over ending in extreme and sudden violence. In Chapter 11 appropriately named "How the World Came to be Ruined" Maximilian describes how " As the domination and arrogance of the ruling class increased, the capacity of the lower classes to resist, within the limits of law and constitution, decreased. Every avenue, in fact, was blocked by corruption. juries, courts, legislatures, congresses, they were as if they were not." He continues to explain the Gabriel how it was these opressive conditions that gave rise to the Brotherhood of Destruction, an organization whose goals revolve around violence. In addition Maximilian gives what is essentially a list, of historic civilizations that collapsed when the gap between rich and poor became too much. This list begins with the example "When Egypt went down 2 per cent. of her population owned 97 percent. of her wealth. The people were starved to death." and continues with Babylon, Rome, and eventually ends in the US. While these examples aren't necessarily violent they reiterate the theme that inequality will be the nations downfall. 

My name is Eric Chan and in the class "Violence in Art and Culture" we are currently reading the book Caesar's Column by Ignatius L. Donnely. The story itself contains elements of dystopian and science fiction and was popular enough that it continues to be read today, despite being written in 1890. The book shares several themes with the The Destruction of Gotham, and lends itself to thematic comparisons.

Something that struck me while reading the novel was the passage in which the character Maximilian breaks down his views on morality to Gabriel, our protagonist. In it he proclaims that "Morality, in man or woman, is a magnificent flower which blossoms only in the rich soil of prosperity: impoverish the land and the bloom withers" (Donnely 22). Reading this passage I was reminded of Walton from The Destruction of Gotham who despite being poor, was the moral center of the novel.

In a book full of pitiable and villainous characters Walton stands as the pinnacle of virtue despite his poverty. His poverty is self imposed and is deeply tied to his strong sense of right and wrong. Many of the "prosperous" characters however such as Stone, Matherson, and the Millionaire are depicted as immoral. Indeed their lack of morality is the source of their prosperity as they are willing to do whatever is necessary to get ahead. I'm looking forward to seeing whether the idea that morality crumples in the face of bodily needs will be a main theme in Caesar's Column.

My name is Eric Chan and in the class "Violence in Art and Culture" we are currently reading the book the Destruction of Gotham by Joaquin Miller. Written in 1886 the book is one of the earliest examples of a dystopian novel. One of the themes he presents in his book is the "nobility of poverty" in contrast to the greed that permeates much of the city.

On page 75 he describes the moment in which Dottie “opened her eyes on honest poverty and innocent surroundings, the first, be it confessed, for days-years.”  Until arriving at the beer shop, Dottie had been in constant danger due to the fact that she was a young woman in a city where young woman were often preyed upon. It is Walton the poor but noble journalist who is willing to help her, by taking her to the shabby beer shop, a refuge from the excesses of the city. Sleeping in the beer shop she is able to rest fitfully for the first time in years.

This contrasts with the earlier chapters where upon arrival she “was now in the great city, on the monsters own ground, in her trap.”(Miller 18) The old woman, a product of the greed of wealthy men, preys exclusively upon young, pretty girls and immediately marks Dottie when she sees her. The treatment of Dottie as well as young woman in general is one way in which the author makes the distinction between the noble poor and the corrupt rich.