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thelastinstance.bsky.social
k-punk demon hunter
@thelastinstance.bsky.social
39 followers 76 following 91 posts
The question is of moment, the repose and tranquillitie of infinite soules doth depend vpon it

writing: https://codepoetics.substack.com
plugins: https://vulpuslabs.com
music: https://wtrem.bandcamp.com
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thelastinstance.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 5:42 PM
thelastinstance.bsky.social
But (for fairness) here's Claude giving a much sharper reading
This is a fascinating poem, and the AI commentary captures some important elements—the post-WWII context, the collective despair, the repetitive structure—but it misses what makes Empson's piece so sharp and particular. The title is crucial: "Just a Smack at Auden." This isn't simply about general existential despair; it's a pointed critique of a specific poetic mode. Empson is taking aim at Auden's tendency (especially in his 1930s work) toward oracular pronouncement, collective address, and a certain kind of portentous political-spiritual diagnosis. The "boys" address mimics Auden's own rhetorical habits—think of poems like "Spain" or "September 1, 1939" with their grave warnings to a collective audience. What the AI analysis completely overlooks is the poem's fundamental irony and self-consciousness. Empson isn't earnestly expressing despair; he's performing the futility of that kind of apocalyptic posturing. Each stanza offers a different clichéd response to crisis—building towers (grand projects), sending communications (intellectual engagement), making tales (propaganda or consolation), invoking Marx or Christ—and systematically deflates them. The relentless rhyming on "-end" becomes almost comic in its mechanical inevitability, mirroring the fatalism it describes. The line "Christ will not ascend. / He's hiding in his stable, boys" is particularly telling—it mocks the kind of easy religious pessimism that was fashionable, reducing eschatology to bathos. Similarly, "Treason of the clerks" references Julien Benda's famous phrase about intellectuals betraying their calling, but in context it becomes just another empty formula, another dark saying that offers no actual guidance. The poem's genius lies in this double movement: it performs the very thing it criticizes—the seductive rhythm of apocalyptic despair—while simultaneously exposing its hollowness. That phrase "Not a chance of blend, boys, things have got to tend" captures deterministic thinking perfectly while making it sound absurd through the forced rhyme. This is vintage Empson: intellectually sophisticated, formally brilliant, emotionally ambiguous, and deeply suspicious of grand gestures. The AI's straightforward reading as earnest existential despair misses that the poem is actually a demolition of that mode of discourse—including Auden's version of it. It's less "we're all doomed" and more "look how ridiculous we sound when we keep saying we're all doomed."
November 23, 2025 at 9:27 PM
thelastinstance.bsky.social
lol
Analysis (ai): This poem explores the pervasive sense of despair and uncertainty hanging over society. Depicting the inevitability of the end, the speaker asks a series of rhetorical questions, each offering a futile attempt to find meaning or purpose. Through its repetitive structure and direct address to "boys," it emphasizes the collective nature of this crisis. Compared to Empson's other works, this poem is notable for its straightforward language and bleak outlook. It reflects the disillusionment and anxiety prevalent in the post-World War II era, a time characterized by political tensions and the threat of nuclear annihilation. The poem's use of colloquial language and conversational tone humanizes the despair, making it relatable to a wide audience. By contrasting the speaker's desire to act with the futility of their actions, the poem captures the sense of powerlessness felt during this period. The questions posed explore the existential questions of purpose, morality, and the meaning of life, reflecting the existentialist themes prevalent in the literature of the time.
November 23, 2025 at 9:23 PM
thelastinstance.bsky.social
Awarding the W to ChatGPT here
November 20, 2025 at 11:44 AM
thelastinstance.bsky.social
And here's Claude AI correcting Google's AI with another *completely spurious* source
November 20, 2025 at 11:41 AM
thelastinstance.bsky.social
Google's AI hallucinating that a line from Richard Hooker's "A learned and comfortable sermon of the certaintie and perpetuitie of faith in the elect especially of the prophet Habakkuks faith" is in an earlier version of Hamlet
November 20, 2025 at 11:38 AM
thelastinstance.bsky.social
What can I say, I love shawms.

Also Ross Records
November 16, 2025 at 7:51 PM
thelastinstance.bsky.social
Sora 2 has clearly not understood the assignment here

"Leto II, God Emperor of Dune, is frustrated at his inability to use chopsticks to eat the delicious sushi Hwi Noree has prepared for him"
November 10, 2025 at 11:13 AM