Great article on the 996. And I love the reference to Milton’s Paradise Lost. (Book IV, lines 262-263) But if you read Paradise Lost through to the end, you’ll find that Satan never really does “reign in Hell” or anywhere for that matter. Wherever he is, and especially at the end of the poem, Milton’s narrator makes it clear that Satan is always subject to God’s rule. In Book X Satan returns to Hell, having successfully tempted Eve (who in turn tempted Adam) to eat the forbidden fruit. He expects praise and ovations from his fellow devils. Instead, he receives “A dismal universal hiss, the sound / of Public scorn.” Book X, lines 508-509) Then he feels his legs intertwining, and his arms forced against his sides, as he and his fellow devils are transformed into serpents. (Book X, lines 509-521) They’re forced to slither on the ground, unable to speak except in hisses. (Book X, lines 517-520) They reach for an illusion of the sweet fruits of Eden, but when they eat they instead taste bitter ashes. (Book X, lines 547-566) As Satan resists his transformation Milton’s narrator makes it clear that Satan is no ruler in Hell: “Reluctant, but in vain: a greater power / Now rul’d him, punisht in the shape he sinned.” (Book X, lines 515-516) I too heard the 996’s siren song of an initially inexpensive entry into Porsche 911 ownership. Unlike Odysseus, though, I didn’t have to be tied to a mast to keep me from giving in. As you’ve noted, the cost of Porsche parts and maintenance was enough.
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