Review by dangersquirrel - Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

dangersquirrel 's review for:

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace

1.5

adventurous challenging slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Ben-Hur is the Great American Novel, in that like America, it goes on for far too long and doesn’t even try to hide its underlying christian supremacism.

There is a very specific kind of antisemitism that comes from christians who think of Jews as slightly-confused christians. To them, we are one Accepting Christ As Our Lord And Savior away from the Right Path, and therefore so much more salvageable than atheists or pagans or what have you. The lingering stench of that sentiment fouls any catharsis in the story of Ben-Hur. If there could be enjoyment in the epic of a Jew pitting himself against Roman imperialism, it is dashed from the start by the inevitable conclusion that a Good Jew is one who comes to his senses and realizes Jesus is the messiah. Even without that, the story is drenched in enough navel-gazing racism, classism, and misogyny to render itself far too offensive to enjoy.

This overlong New Testament fanfiction is prosaically effective in moments but overall an infuriating waste of time. It made me even more skeptical than before of the movie adaptations I'm about to watch.

Content Warnings