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Renascence

Volume 70, Issue 1, Winter 2018

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Displaying: 1-6 of 6 documents


1. Renascence: Volume > 70 > Issue: 1
John E. Curran Jr.

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2. Renascence: Volume > 70 > Issue: 1
Lucas Nossaman

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This essay examines Wendell Berry’s Sabbath poetry, an ongoing project of verse composed during Sunday walks, as a unique blend of Christian theology and ecological teaching gleaned from the Bible and from English pastoral poets. In particular, the perspective on Sabbath in Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene has influenced Berry’s reflections on rest in an ecological context. From close analyses of three Sabbath poems, the essay concludes that the Sabbath poetry progresses from conventional georgic rooted in Old Testament teachings about land to a Christian critique of culture in the pastoral mode, and finally, in Berry’s most mature verse, to a psalm of praise for kindly work accomplished through the reconciliation of humans with God. In the Sabbath poetry, Berry’s ultimate hope lies in an eternal rest that will paradoxically also involve the active participation of the creation with the Creator.

3. Renascence: Volume > 70 > Issue: 1
Joyce Kerr Tarpley

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Among Austen commentators, the traditional view of manhood holds that it is innate, “‘a matter of course,’ a given quality of a man’s nature” (Trilling, 1957, cited in Johnson, 1995). However, since the 90’s, this view has been contested, especially in Emma, with the argument that “masculinity is something the novel contests and constructs” (Johnson, 1995). In “Manhood and Happiness in Emma: Liberal Learning and Practicing the Language of Marriage,” I frame Austen’s understanding of manhood in terms of education. In order to become the man he ought to be, he must be teachable, he must be a liberal learner, and most important for Austen, he must develop certain Christian qualities of mind: humility, kindness, and forgiveness. This education for manhood can only take place within marriage, but not just any kind of marriage will do. To reinforce this point, I contrast two different kinds of marriage — the cornerstone versus the capstone — and I discuss the kinds of thinking (which I represent as languages) that go with each. Using Mr. Weston and Frank Churchill, I argue that within a capstone marriage, the languages of materialism and narcissism make it impossible to develop the qualities of mind necessary for manhood. With Mr. Knightley, who has the most potential for manhood in the novel, I argue that to fulfill this potential he must choose a cornerstone marriage, within which he may practice the language of marriage, thereby learning to express humility, kindness, and forgiveness. By acquiring these qualities and by learning to love the right things — truth, goodness, and beauty — in the right way, Mr. Knightley becomes the man he ought to be — not only in Emma’s eyes — but also in Austen’s.

4. Renascence: Volume > 70 > Issue: 1
J. V. Long

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Evidence in the text of Brideshead Revisited shows that it is inadequate simply to link Evelyn Waugh’s conversion to Roman Catholicism with his ostensibly reactionary sensibility. Rather than merely providing an exercise in apologetics, Waugh’s novel displays religious experience that is grounded in the author’s conversion and practice of his faith. The novel mines a deep understanding of both the complex experience of English Catholicism and the riches of the liturgical drama and texts that were experienced during the Holy Week Tenebrae services with which he was familiar.

5. Renascence: Volume > 70 > Issue: 1
Matthew M. Davis

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This essay looks at how various characters in King Lear view Lear’s authority after he divides the kingdom. The author argues that some characters, including Goneril, Regan, and Oswald, view Lear’s kingly authority as “defeasible” – that is, they believe it is something he can lose or give away. Other characters, particularly Kent, view Lear as a person who has an indefeasible, inalienable authority. The author makes a connection between “indefeasible authority” and the concept of divine right of kings and presents a detailed analysis of Oswald, Kent, and the Fool using these concepts.

6. Renascence: Volume > 70 > Issue: 1
Dr. Mark Bosco, S.J.

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