As we wait for internet to be installed my husband and I have been watching episodes of Mad Men season 3
on his computer. My attention was caught by the episode where Sally reads a passage from "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" to Grandpa Gene ("My Old Kentucky Home").She reads a little at the beginning of the episode and a little at the end. Gibbon is talking about Antioch under the rule of Julian the Apostate (355-368), a pagan who ruled a mostly Christian people:
The warmth of the climate disposed the natives to the most intemperate enjoyment of tranquillity and opulence; and the lively licentiousness of the Greeks was blended with the hereditary softness of the Syrians. Fashion was the only law, pleasure the only pursuit, and the splendor of dress and furniture was the only distinction of the citizens of Antioch. The arts of luxury were honored; the serious and manly virtues were the subject of ridicule; and the contempt for female modesty and reverent age announced the universal corruption of the capital of the East. The love of spectacles was the taste, or rather passion, of the Syrians; the most skilful artists were procured from the adjacent cities; a considerable share of the revenue was devoted to the public amusements; and the magnificence of the games of the theatre and circus was considered as the happiness and as the glory of Antioch.
Grandpa Gene warns her at the point: "You just wait. All hell's gonna break loose." At the conclusion of the episode Sally finishes the passage:
The rustic manners of a prince who disdained such glory, and was insensible of such happiness, soon disgusted the delicacy of his subjects; and the effeminate Orientals could neither imitate, nor admire, the severe simplicity which Julian always maintained, and sometimes affected.
I have a few questions here. I wonder who is intended to serve as our modern-day Julian. As someone who is invested in keeping interest in the classics alive, I am also surprised that reviews (like this one) of the episode which discuss other scenes in great detail don't engage with the Gibbon quotes.
What non-classicists think of classics is of interest to me, and most of the reviews I've seen (here's another example) appear to think it's enough to mention that Sally read this book in the episode. I suspect that there's some associations involved with the words "Roman Empire." Roman empire … decadence… hubris (in the modern sense)…decline. Certainly very appropriate for Mad Men.
But if you look into the quote a bit you discover the presence of Julian, the virtuous pagan who ruled over (apparently) dissolute Christians. And this fits beautifully with the theme of the episode. Don and Conrad Hilton bond over their outsider status. Hilton appears to fit the role of the virtuous outsider, with his straightforward manner and (later) instructions to Don to spend time with his family and keep a Bible in his office. But the intense focus necessary for a self-made man eventually ripens into utter lunacy (pun intended):
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