I finished the book this morning. Paul Featherstone languished in prison for a while along with several of his pals. Prendergast, who Waugh describes as a modern churchman who believes in nothing in particular, meets a gruesome end as his head is removed by an inmate in the prison where Paul first serves time as a white slaver, and by the end of the story Paul has made his way back to the beginning.
There are some moments in the text that must mean something. Paul enjoys his confinement, and his consideration of that information is certainly interesting. A narrator breaks in somewhere halfway through the book and explains that Paul isn't a hero, that in fact he is no more than a ghost of himself while the events of the novel are taking place.
Any Evelyn Waugh fanatics out there want to share with me their insight?
This afternoon I considered moving on to some more lighthearted reading in the genre of the mystery novel. I've seen several episodes of Bones on the Fox Network that have been interesting, which leaves me tempted to try one of Kathy Reich's novels. Carol O'Connol has a new Kathy Mallory out that I haven't read yet that I saw in the bookstore this afternoon. At the same time two independent parties have recommended Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, which I also saw at the bookstore this afternoon.
Any one of those, gruesome as two of them may be, has to be lighter hearted than anything by Evelyn Waugh, but I find that I enjoy Catholic authors so much. I read The Heart of the Matter long ago when I was first getting started with Graham Green, and said to Michael that it certainly was a Catholic novel. Why do you guess would I find such work so compelling? According to several of the essays in Yancy's collection More Than Words many Christian authors find themselves first attracted to the Episcopal Church, then find themselves inexorably drawn into Roman Catholicism. Any ideas on why this may be?
4 comments:
Yeah, I have some ideas about why so many authors are drawn to Catholicism, but it would take too long to post. Basically, for me, it's the benefits of mysticism and sacramental theology. As you know, I love O'Connor and like Greene.
Ever wonder why there are so few good authors in protestantism recognized by pagans as good writers (unlike O'Connor, Greene, Tolkien, and others)? I think there is a reason.
This is very cryptically stated, Wes. We'll have to discuss it sometime.
I think adding "evangelicals" to the list of materialsts and madmen in the G.K. Chesterton quote that Kelly's recently posted will answer Wes's question. Chesterton is one of the "and others" in Wes's O'Conner, Greene, and Tolkien list.
Oh the sentences. Thanks to Jim's comment I had to go back and reread my "Rise and Fall" post, and talk about your run-on sentences. Paul what's is name was in prison because the authorities were convinced he WAS a white-slaver. He wasn't put in prison to act AS a white slaver.
Jim, I'm not firing very well this morning. You're saying that evangelicals also "have no doubts"?
What was Chesterton's particular Christian affiliation? Is he also non-protestant?
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