Gore Vidal's 'The Judgment of Paris' Reminds Us What's Real in Life

A First Edition, First Printing of Gore Vidal's 1952 Novel, The Judgment of Paris.

The Judgment of Paris is a Sophisticated Re-Telling of an Old Myth

"As he looked at her by firelight, saw her smile, the silver mirror dissolved before his eyes, dispelling its ungrieved ghosts like smoke upon the night, and beyond her in the dark, a promise at the present's farthest edge, a dreaming figure stirred and opened her golden eyes." - Excerpt from Gore Vidal's The Judgment of Paris

"The choice between Knowledge and Power is false; they are the same. But when compared with Love (the third choice) something curious happens: they glint off of one another to actually reveal themselves all as part of choice four: Time. And we are sailing upon it." - A very smart Berliner

I recently moved back to Toronto following a short Pandemic induced exile in Saskatchewan. While in Saskatchewan, on a whim one day I decided to order a copy of The Judgment of Paris by Gore Vidal from ABE Books. Since books are now a buyer's market, I was able to get my hands on a First Edition, First Printing of the Novel, which pleased me immensely since it's one of my favourite reads.

The Judgment of Paris was first published in 1952, and it remains one of my all time favourites for many reasons. Gore Vidal, the Author, was an Aristocrat, prolific writer, and a member of the American political class during his time. He famously published one of the earliest Novels to feature a Transsexual Protagonist, Myra Breckinridge, in 1968. That year Vidal also, famously, debated William F. Buckley on live television during the Democratic and Republican conventions. These debates would shape the future of television news coverage in the United States.

Although Vidal's writing covered a wide variety of topics and themes, The Judgment has long been a favourite of mine because it is one of his warmest books.

The Novel is based upon the Myth of Paris and the Golden Apple. According to legend, The Judgment of Paris was a contest between three beautiful Goddesses - Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena, for the prize of a Golden Apple addressed to, "the Fairest."

Philip Warren, the book's Protagonist, takes the place of the Golden Apple here. He is 27-years-old, a recent Law School graduate, and a Veteran of the U.S. Military. It is implied that he served during the Second World War. Warren is unambiguously heterosexual, though he receives no shortage of propositions from gay men during the book's course of events.

Most importantly, for the plot's sake, Philip is someone who has yet to make up his mind as to what he will accomplish in life; what he stands for.

At evenly spaced intervals Philip is introduced to the three Goddesses. Power is represented by Regina Durham, the wife of a powerful American Politician. Her aim is to convince Philip to return to America where he can begin a brilliant political career.

Knowledge is represented by the independently wealthy Sophia Oliver, an intellectual who Philip meets while in Egypt. Her goal is to steer Philip into a life of study and contemplation.

Anna Morris, the wife of a wealthy Industrialist, represents Love. Philip's eventual choice will both define him and shape his future.

As he develops the main plot, Vidal takes the reader on a number of highly entertaining detours. We are introduced to Lord Glenellen, a British peer with more money than ideas. He gets his best moments in the Novel when introducing Philip to the Baths of Nero in Rome. As things progress Lord Glenellen jumps from one political ideology to another. He is last seen working as a key player for the Augustans, a cult in Paris, France, devoted to the worship of a Hermaphrodite. In other words, the worship of a False God.

His female counterpart Zoe Helotius is a wealthy widow whose life is a never ending circuit of official receptions and other functions. She takes pleasure in growing her Rolodex and 'collecting' other wealthy and influential people by inviting them to one of her many Villas. Miss Helotius is also played for laughs by Vidal. A variation on the worship of False Gods.

Other bit players in The Judgment of Paris are more sympathetic. Particularly the character of Jim, a blond American in Paris who makes his living as an Escort. Vidal sketches Jim's downfall to an Opium addiction with some of the most beautiful, heartbreaking prose I've read in a long time:

"How do you feel?" asked Philip, curiously. "Like I'm dreaming... a little like a dream of flying." "Better than love?" "Wouldn't you rather fly than make love?" "Any day."

There are several other supporting characters in the Novel who are as interesting as the Protagonist in their own right. Such as Mr. Willys, a morbidly obese man with a wish to die, and Fay Peabody, an acclaimed Detective Fiction Author visiting Cairo to research her next book.

The supporting cast and their side adventures really help with the Novel's pacing. The Judgment of Paris builds up to the choice Philip must make. Vidal expertly uses the technique of foreshadowing here. If you pay close attention, you know early on what our Hero's choice will be when the moment comes.

And what a moment. The climax occurs on a barge during a party hosted by Zoe Helotius. It's neatly contained in the Novel's 13th Chapter. Like all of the book, the conclusion is superbly written. And very moving, from an emotional standpoint.

If you have space in your bookshelf for one more Pandemic read, I highly recommend Gore Vidal's The Judgment of Paris.

The Underwoods' Cold Veneer Starts to Crack in Season 3

As House of Cards enters its third season, the bloodletting Underwoods show a softer side in private.

Spoiler Alert: Spoilers will be found throughout this post. So if you haven't finished Season 3 yet, wait until you have before reading this.

There is a scene in 1999's American Beauty where Kevin Spacey's character, Lester Burnham, masturbates in bed beside his wife, the bloodless materialist Carolyn Burnham. When she catches him in the act of 'saying hello to his monster' she yells, "that's disgusting!" To which he issues the pointed retort: "At least some of us still have blood pumping through our veins!"

This scene from one of Kevin Spacey's early, career defining films is a good jumping point to leap into Season 3 of Netflix's House of Cards. For the show's first two seasons Frank and Claire Underwood stopped at nothing to discredit or kill anyone who threatened Frank's rise to the Oval Office. To be such cold and evil protagonists they had to shed most recognizable human feelings — their ambition and cold as day realism matched the show's colour palette — all cold stone greys, polished marble floors, and dark shadows.

Now that Frank (Kevin Spacey) and Claire (Robin Wright) are in the White House, we get to see that they, too, have blood pumping through their veins. The Frank and Claire dynamic has always been central to the series — each driving the other, and offering a comforting shoulder when it's needed. Witness the much talked about threesome between Frank, Claire, and their Secret Service bodyguard Edward Meechum (Nathan Darrow) in Season 2. The energy and sexual tension are believable as Meechum, a trusted member of the Underwoods' inner circle, is elevated into another level of trust and confidence.

Or witness the second episode of Season 3, when Claire returns from an evening jog to find Frank in tears because he can't find political support for a re-election bid. You will see how much these two characters need each other, support each other, and give each other strength.  

This trust and confidence the Underwoods share is what starts to fall apart in Season 3. As Frank intones in the trailer, "You want to know what takes real courage? Holding it all together when the stakes are this high."

As President, Frank is confronted with all the messiness of governing — Congress wants to kill his jobs plan, America Works, because the program uses funds earmarked for FEMA (The Federal Emergency Management Agency) to a bullying Russian President, Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen), a barely disguised Vladimir Putin. Petrov's anti-gay laws cause conflict with Claire when the First Couple visits Russia to secure the release of a gay rights activist jailed for demonstrating.

If this wasn't enough pressure to cause cracks in the most solid of marriages, Claire lobbies Frank early in Season 3 to make her Ambassador to the United Nations. In keeping with his 'win at any cost' style Frank appoints her to the job when Congress and the Senate are on a recess. Claire soon learns to be careful what she wishes for when she comes up against fellow diplomats who don't take her seriously, viewing Ambassador Underwood as a mouthpiece for Frank's agenda.

Surface cracks turn into a full-blown rupture when Claire publicly denounces Petrov at a joint press conference inside the Kremlin. This after the gay rights activist hangs himself inside his cell with Claire sleeping just feet away. Of course the easiest way to cause a rift within a Power Couple would be to take some of that power away.

The ice cold looks and physical distance increases right away — Frank and Claire begin to sleep in separate bedrooms. Episode 7 brings a change with the Underwoods renewing their vows and trying to deepen the connection they share once more. It's perhaps the most moving episode of the season; when Claire snuggles up to Frank at the end of this episode you get a sense of how far each would go for the other.

Peace for the First Couple is a fleeting thing as Frank's inevitable re-election bid, ruthlessness, and unwillingness to take advice other than his own creates a new, deeper rift between them. This culminates in a monologue delivered by Frank inside the Oval Office where he vows to 'take charge' since there is only one chair in the Oval Office, and that chair belongs to him. When Claire leaves him it seems, more than anything, that lack of love isn't what makes her go, it's the lack of power she feels — with Frank as President, he makes all the decisions, including the giving of, and later taking away, of Claire's U.N. ambassadorship.

This American remake of House of Cards had a Shakespearean flavour from the beginning. Frank's undoing and fall from power are all but inevitable. Season 3 shows that fall starts with losing the person he loves most.

House of Cards Season 2 Shuffles the Deck for Net Neutrality

House of Cards recently had its' Season 2 premiere. Netflix, the company that produces the series, is under fire from Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Frank Underwood and his wife Claire are out jogging in the night. In their black jogging suits they meld into their dark surroundings, only occasionally illuminated by lamp posts that line the path they are taking. The couple's pace speeds up as they go downhill from a crest on the path. Pausing at the bottom of this dip, the newly named Vice President of the United States smiles at his confidante. Then they're off again. Fade to black. Cue the House of Cards opening montage.

Scenes like this make Netflix's remake of the British House of Cards compelling television. Frank Underwood is introduced to us in Season 1 as a House Majority Whip whose job he seeks to transcend. Early on in this season we learn where Frank's values lie. He's not looking to make mountains of money. No, to Underwood power is the only Holy Grail in life.

Washington's most visible seat of power is the office of President of the United States. Unfortunately for Frank, that job is currently occupied by Garrett Walker. After Walker reneges on a promise to make Frank his Secretary of State, Underwood begins a covert campaign of lies, back channeling, backstabbing, bribery, intimidation, and every other means available to him in order to: a) Place his own people in Walker's administration so that Underwood can wield greater influence within it, and b) Undermine and humiliate that administration so Frank can propel himself further up Capitol Hill's chain of command.

The story of an ambitious man who would seek power at any cost is a story that has been told before; that doesn't diminish any of the story's power here. Comparisons to Othello and Richard 3 have been made by HOC cast members in interviews. Like Iago and Richard, Frank Underwood is a villain whose hunger for the throne knows no bounds.

Now that Seasons 1 and 2 of this dark as midnight political drama are over, the next installment of HOC will be the third act. For anyone familiar with Othello and Richard 3, you know the villain is undone in both. A position gained through deceit and carefully managed webs of lies is bound to fall like, well, a House of Cards.

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There is a comparison to be made here - like the television series it created, Netflix the company is about to enter its' own third act. The one we've just witnessed has seen it become the world's most popular Internet television on demand streaming service. At the end of the second act, the company had moved from just obtaining licenses to stream television series and movies created by others, to funding its' own programs, Orange is the New Black and House of Cards being two examples.

In early January of this year the story took a twist. A ruling in the United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia, struck down two key provisions of the principle of Net Neutrality. Although there are many definitions of Net Neutrality, one of the most commonly understood is that it means “non discrimination.” In theory all data packets sent from server to server on the Internet are treated in the exact same manner from the server to the client and back again. It shouldn’t matter if the consumer is watching Netflix or YouTube, searching on Google, or reading an article on the New York Times website.

The provisions struck down by the U.S. Court of Appeals are: a) that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are prohibited from blocking high bandwidth traffic such as Skype and Netflix on their networks and b) ISPs cannot discriminate against these services by putting them into a ‘slow’ lane while giving priority to data packets from other servers.

Craig Aaron, President and CEO of Washington, D.C. based Free Press said when the ruling was released, “the biggest broadband providers will race to turn the open and vibrant Web into something that looks like cable TV. They’ll establish fast lanes for the few giant companies that can afford to pay exorbitant tolls and reserve the slow lanes for everyone else.”

Such a reality could seriously damage Netflix’s business. If the flow of data from the company’s servers to end consumers is ‘throttled’ or slowed down, customers may abandon the service. By slowing down Netflix traffic to an extent that streaming becomes impossible, broadband providers could make it prohibitively difficult for the company to continue with its’ current business model.

In February, Netflix signed a deal with American broadband provider Comcast Corp. for an undisclosed amount that would see Netflix traffic be streamed to Comcast customers at faster speeds. There had been reports that Netflix’s streaming speeds on Comcast from October 2013 to January of this year had decreased by as much as 27 per cent.

This is the issue that could really spell trouble for Netflix. To deliver their Internet streaming television service to consumers, the company must use the 'pipelines' provided by broadband companies and ISPs. If those ISPs want to throttle Netflix's content now that Net Neutrality provisions have been tossed out the window, what's to stop them?

Business articles have speculated that deals with AT&T and Verizon Wireless will be forthcoming. Every deal of this nature that Netflix makes shows they're worried about the vulnerable position they find themselves in.

This raises an important question: What is there to stop broadband providers from charging Netflix huge sums? The business relationship is a dependent one; the horse must go to water in order to drink. So too must Netflix rely on ISPs to carry large amounts of data 'downstream' to customers.

Could a buyout by one or more of the U.S. cable giants and / or ISPs be in Netflix's future? Will Frank Underwood fall hard and fast from his seat of power in the White House? Only time will tell.