Completed:
Recommendation:
Recommended By:
Words for which I Sought Help:
etiolate -- to deprive of natural vigor; to make feeble
hypergamous -- marriage into a higher caste or group
Lady Potiphar syndrome -- This appears to be a term coined by Vidal. Potiphar was a minor figure in the Bible and his wife was said to have accused Joseph (at the time a Hebrew slave boy) of untoward advances. This resulted in Joseph being put in jail. Later Jewish analysis, suggests that Joseph was attractive to all the women in court and that Lady Potiphar's wife probably wanted to be with him like everyone else, but could not be. Within context, it appears that Vidal appears this to mean that one is looking at a situation through a lens of love and, perhaps, that this results in a false accusation. In the book, Vidal uses it to refer to Mrs. Adams who speaks poorly of Mr. Hamilton to Mr. Adams (who is himself inclined to believe that Hamilton is dastardly). Thus, Mrs. Adams (Lady Potiphar) speaks poorly of Mr. Hamilton (Joseph), though she does not love Mr. Hamilton (or at least, Vidal does not make this case), her love is for Mr. Adams. To me, this is a tortured reference and perhaps Vidal was simply inclined to create a new term, but strained to do so within the context of this book.
lapidary -- relating to stone and gems and the work involved in engraving, cutting, or polishing
lubricious -- offensively displaying or intended to arouse sexual desire
Review:
I did not realize that Gore Vidal and JFK hung out. I also did not realize how strongly Vidal disliked Bush's policies--heck, Republicans in general. This book is an excellent overview of the three founding fathers and a brief history of how they interacted and effected one-another. Hamilton haunts the narrative. I enjoyed this quick read.
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