Lentils of Babylon

[Marco Barlotti]

At 19:14:37 27/12/1999 +0200, Kriton Kyrimis wrote:
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>[on "The lentils of Babylon"]
>Despite this, I can't help being extremely confused by the story.
>I've read it in three different languages [Greek (two versions), English
>and French], and all offer different explanations as to what the Beagle's
>scheme for selling the same lentils over and over was.

Well, yes, the story is not very much consistent.
Let me distinguish between TWO different parts of the plot.

(1)
The reason why the BB want the lentils to be resold all over the world. The
original explanation is: through all the different and complicated money
exchange rates, there is an actual gain in buying again the same
merchandise after it went through all those countries.
Now, of course this can't be true (that's why, e.g. David Gerstein changed
this when "americanizing" the script). But I think it's a nice idea, and
just like ducks usually don't talk but in Calisota they do, well maybe down
there the exchange rates work that way, why not?   ;-)
I must say I liked this, I never considered it as a "flaw" in the plot.
Rather, I saw it as a satire of the "money exchange traders".

(1bis) But why had it to be the LENTILS OF BABYLON ? Couldn't any other
kind of commodities? This, honestly, never convinced me.

(2) The *real* flaw is when $crooge cannot take decisions because he
doesn't have 100% of the property. Of course it's a shock to see $crooge
buy ONE SINGLE SHARE for all his fortune; but this really doesn't make sense.
And since in my youth I learned A LOT of real life from duck stories   ;-)
I have been for a long time very confused, honestly believing that you
can't rule a company unless you have 100% of the shares. Now, NOTHING could
be farther from the truth...!

In conclusion, from what you say I must deduce that the French version is
very faithful to the original.

>I'd love to know what was in the original version, and if it actually
>makes sense there.

I hope my explanation helped a bit...

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    Marco

http://marcobar.cce.unifi.it/Comics