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OK, OK. That’s not fair. If you want the whole quotation, then here it is:
“If you want stability alllied to imagination, Catholicism has everything else beat.”
– Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, July 7 & 14, 2008
It’s one of the many striking lines in Adam Gopnik’s beautifully-written and fascinating article on G. K. Chesterton in The New Yorker entitled, “The Back of the World: The Troubling Genius of G. K. Chesterton.”
The article is affectionate toward Chesterton – the author’s sympathy is obvious, and he includes himself among those “who love Chesterton’s writing” (indeed, among those “who are used to pressing his writing on friends”) – and full of solid insights.
Along the way, Gopnik’s tries to wrestle with what he calls Chesterton’s “Jew-hating.” This leads him to posit a drift from the unadulterated delights of early Chesterton (“The Napoleon of Notting Hill” and “The Man Who Was Thursday” are his favorites) to the more problematic “orthodoxy” and anti-Semitism that, according to Gopnik, comes later. Nowhere in the article does he directly discuss Chesterton’s book entitled “Orthodoxy.” This is an odd omission, but it is difficult to imagine how he could have addressed it without upending his version of Chesterton’s development, since “Orthodoxy” was written in 1908, the very same year as “The Man Who Was Thursday,” and the discovery of “orthodoxy” recounted in that book is already a thing of the past. In short, the Chesterton of “Orthodoxy” and the delightful “early” Chesterton are one and the same.
It is true, of course, that Chesterton didn’t become a Catholic until 1922, but most of the specific instances that Gopnik sees as evidence of anti-Semitism are prior to that conversion (from the years 1912, 1918, 1920).
Gopnik deserves great credit for including in his account the elements that, at the very least, complicate any accusation of anti-Semitism. In fact, it would be interesting to see how the article would have turned out if, instead of asserting Chesterton’s guilt at the outset, he had begun with these phrases, with which his discussion of anti-Semitism more or less concludes:
“[Chesterton] did speak out, toward the end of his life [ie, 1936], against the persecution in Nazi Germany, writing that he was ‘appalled by the Hitlerite atrocities,’ that ‘they have absoutely no reason or logic behind them,’ that ‘I am quite ready to believe now that Belloc and I will die defending the last Jew in Europe.’”
Now, one can’t help but wonder how many Jew-hating anti-Semites were speaking openly of Hitler’s atrocities – before 1937, mind you – and talking about dying in defense of Europe’s Jews. If this is anti-Semitism, then it is a very strange form of it.
If one re-reads Gopnik’s criticism of Chesterton’s “Jew-hating” in the light of these statements, one immediately notices that the evidence for the prosecution is not any explicitly-stated hatred of Jews, but mainly Chesterton’s repeated reference to what he called “the Jewish problem.” And here again, Gopnik deserves credit for pointing out that there were, as he puts it, “points of contact between Chesterton and Zionism.” This is a useful reminder that, speaking about a “Jewish problem” in the 1920s was not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism. Sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn’t. Clearly, if one wants to uncover the true meaning of Chesterton’s references to “the Jewish problem,” then his later comments have to be taken seriously.
Gopnik considers himself a proselytizer for “the pre-Catholic Chesterton” and claims that Chesterton’s later writing “suffers from conversion sickness.” But what he sees as defects in the Catholic Chesterton are the very same virtues that he sees in the early “pre-Catholic” one (I note again that the “pre-Catholic” Chesterton is the one who wrote “Orthodoxy” in 1908 at the same time he wrote the masterpieces that Gopnik loves). Speaking of Chesterton as “a Pangloss of the parish” (a fine expression!) for whom “anything Roman is right,” Gopnik claims, “It is hard to credit that even a convinced Catholic can feel equally strong about St. Francis’s intuitive mysticism and St. Thomas’s pedantic religiosity, as Chesterton seems to.” It is precisely this combination of apparent opposites, however, that attracted Chesterton to “orthodoxy” in 1908 and eventually to Catholicism. And – this is the best part – Gopnik knows this. I started with that opening quotation for a reason. Here it is at a bit more length:
“If you want a solution, at once authoritarian and poetic, to the threat of moral anarchism, then Catholicism, which built Chartes and inspired Dante, looks a lot better than Scotland Yard. If you want stability allied to imagination, Catholicism has everything else beat.”
On one side, St. Thomas (authoritarian stability); on the other, St. Francis (poetic imagination). Chesterton realized that, somehow, both of these were necessary for sanity, and he found them together in the Catholic Church. And, as I say, Gopnik appreciates precisely this doubleness in Chesterton, at least when he finds it in “The Man Who Was Thursday”:
“This double vision, where the appetite for romantic violence is imagined as the flip side of the desire for absolute order, gives the book its permanence.”
It would seems that Gopnik simply needs to read the later “Catholic Chesterton” with the same insightful appreciation that he shows for the “pre-Catholic” one. After all, it’s the same, albeit extremely large, guy.
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A Quote from Gilbert Keith Chesterton;-
“. . . We do not want, as the newspapers say, a Church that will move with the world. We want a Church that will move the world . . . It is by that test that history will really judge, of any Church, whether it is the real Church or no.”
I like that one especially.
By the way Father Wauck we have a TV.series here in Germany called “Pater Braun”,loosely based,I suppose,on the *original*.. Realy quite amusing,he also plays an ‘amature detective’..
I have not had much time in the past few days as school has begun and we have lots to do…
have a good weekend… (all of you)..
I wonder why he can’t see how compatible his statements are about(pre catholic) GK Chesterton, with the (on his way to be a) convert Chesterton.
It seems to me Chesterton was always directed in a path, and got closer and closer, and then WOW. A *true* “Defender of the Faith” without the sparkly that the likes of Henry did cartwheels for.
In Your Intro’ Father Wauck you mention G.K.Chesterton’s “Jew-hating”…
Chesterton did,hold the opinion,that Europe did have a “Jewish problem” this he stated was NOT ‘ethnic’, rather being more ‘cultural’… This of course,in todays atmosphere of “Political correctness” would be an unthinkable statement.. We are witnessing similar “cultural problems” (not exclusively Jewish), only much wider a-field,but with similar consequences,in practically all Nations.. This is the Problem,I suppose, Chesterton was refering to.
His stance was,that due to the very ‘different’ Jewish culture,and their obvious wish to ‘seclude’ themselves from the rest of their community,they opened themselves to ‘discrimination’.. so being,to a certain extent,
‘self imposed’?
Here though, one must not forget that Ghettos,were not the ‘invention’ of the Jewish population,but that this was imposed upon them (by law), long before Hitler / Nazi-Germany,went one further…
The reason that this most disgracefull act of inhumanity, in Europe,could have taken place in the first instance!! (ie’)-The World ‘closing an eye’ to the obvious intentions of the Hitler regime.
Anti-semitism,was very active in all parts of Europe,long (centuries) before Hitler took advantage of the world’s ‘aversion’ to their own, Jewish population…
As so oft,’hatered’ is fired by ‘ignorance’,unwillingness / incompetence, to make the effort to ‘understand’/ respect the diversities,of other cultures / religions..
Only when we can do this can we be truely Christian! This I believe is one of the formost intentions stated by our present Pope?
BTW. The Nazi-regime were also experts in presenting (1936) “the greatest Olimpic games ever”,deflecting the world’s attention away from their ‘true intentions’ ,all reference to ‘anti-semitism’ was hidden from sight (during the games).. it is China’s turn now!!!! How ‘ironic’..
I must rush to work…. running late… nice day all .
Did Gopnik write two articles on Chesterton for two different issues (7/7 and 7/14)? Or was this a sort of special double issue to cover both weeks? I read his essay, but don’t remember the great quote you lead with….
Canadian author and talk show host Michael Coren (himself of part-Jewish background, as I recall), also the author of a Chesterton bio, wrote in the National Post on Gopnik’s article:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/08/05/michael-coren-g-k-chesterton-an-icon-to-too-few.aspx
Thanks, Michelle, for the link to the great article by Coren. I don’t think it’s correct to say that Gopnik’s article villifies Chesterton (see the various quotations in this post), but Coren makes important points about GKC’s supposed anti-semitism. One thing is to have difficulty understanding how Jews fit into modern quasi-Christian societies (after all, many Jews ask the same kinds of questions about assimilation and identity); “hating” Jews is something else entirely.
No, John, there’s only one article. I assume it’s a summer-time double issue, as you suggest.
There’s a huge conversation going on about it at Ross Douthat’s blog at the Atlantic Monthly.
http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/07/gopnik_on_chesterton_i_1.php
http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/07/gopnik_on_chesterton_ii.php
http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/08/in_search_of_antisemitism.php
http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/08/gopnik_on_chesterton_yet_again.php
THE BARBARISM OF BERLIN
BY
G.K. CHESTERTON
First Published 1914
Chapter 1
THE WAR ON THE WORD…
Very Good reading… Explains Chesterton
Has anyone else read it? I can recommend this to you all…
Extract from an article by G.K. Chesterton concerning The Man Who
was Thursday published in the Illustrated London News, 13 June 1936
(the day before his death)
… “I recur here to my personal point about the tendency to miss what
the title means; or even what the title says…. In a rambling column,
whether because it is personal or impersonal, it is permissible to
introduce personal trifles about oneself, as well as about other people,
so long as it is made sufficiently obvious that they are trifling.
And I may remark in this connexion, or disconnexion, that I
happen to have a very strong objection to that trick of missing
the point of a story, or sometimes even the obvious sense of
the very name of a story. I have sometimes had occasion to murmur
meekly that those who endure the heavy labour of reading a book
might possibly endure that of reading the title-page of a book.
For there are more examples than may be imagined, in which earnest
critics might solve many of their problems about what a book is,
merely by discovering what it professes to be.”
I’m feeling so mellow that I slipped away from the whining at the beach not too far from this town library to preserve the mood. A few comments that I really resisted making and then I get back to my girls.
“…one can‚Äôt help but wonder how many Jew-hating anti-Semites were speaking openly of Hitler‚Äôs atrocities – before 1937, mind you – and talking about dying in defense of Europe‚Äôs Jews”
Well now. One doesn’t have to like Jews to object to their wholesale slaughter. He probably disliked the stereotype and deplored their insularity like many of his fellow Englishmen ( mild anti-semitism among the upper class was common at the time)but like most decent human beings was outraged by Hitler’s actions.
“This is a useful reminder that, speaking about a ‚ÄúJewish problem‚Äù in the 1920s was not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism.”
True. He may have rightly sensed, like Theodore Herzl (Zionism’s founder), that there was no future for Jews in Europe. Europeans were not generous enough even to secularized Jews, so what was to be done with their benighted and obscurantist eastern coreligionists?
OT: Interesting the Zionist solution, which played into the hands of Christians wishing to solve the “jewish problem”. A great way to kill 2 birds with one stone: Get rid of the Jews by shipping them out of Europe and at the same time establishing a colony of least popular of Europeans who will take the heat from the understandably outraged locals. And here we are today.
Everything you say about the mix of opposites in Catholicism I agree with. Back to squabbling kids…
And further;-
.. “It is odd that one example occurred in my own case… in a book
called The Man Who was Thursday. It was a very melodramatic sort
of moonshine, but it had a kind of notion in it; and the point
is that it described, first a band of the last champions of order
fighting against what appeared to be a world of anarchy, and then
the discovery that the mysterious master both of the anarchy
and the order was the same sort of elemental elf who had appeared
to be rather too like a pantomime ogre. This line of logic,
or lunacy, led many to infer that this equivocal being was meant
for a serious description of the Deity; and my work even enjoyed
a temporary respect among those who like the Deity to be so described.
But this error was entirely due to the fact that they had
read the book but had not read the title page.”
.. “The book was called The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare. It was not
intended to describe the real world as it was, or as I thought it was,
even when my thoughts were considerably less settled than they are now.
It was intended to describe the world of wild doubt and despair
which the pessimists were generally describing at that date;
with just a gleam of hope in some double meaning of the doubt,
which even the pessimists felt in some fitful fashion.”
Quite a good “answer’ to Mr. Gopnik and many other book critics…
One more interesting link re: Jewish-Christian dialogue, then must finish packing to leave for camping trip outside of Quebec city tomorrow– an interview with Jewish scholar David Novak:
http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/healing_a_2000_year_old_rift/
I’ll pray for y’all at the shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre.
Hi! ARN….
Very nice to see you back…
And yes, “‚ÄúThis is a useful reminder that, speaking about a ‚ÄúJewish problem‚Äù in the 1920s was not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism.‚Äù Well what WAS it then??
Being ‘different’ has allways posed a ‘threat’ to the ‘norm’,and still does..
Got to go.. Ivano has ‘borrowed’ a cabrio (convertable) from my son and is taking me…. ‘for a ride’
Interesting post!!!!
Great article Michelle..
The question asked by David Novak;-
“Did God un-elect the Jewish people and replace the Jewish people with the Church? Or is the election of the Jewish people indelible and the Church is, as Paul put it, the branch grafted onto the tree [of Judaism]?”
Is a very good one..
It has allways puzzled me, how it could be possible,for two ‘Religions’, with the same origin could totaly disregard each other.. Jewism is the oldest existing Faith that claims to worshp (as do Christians) the only ONE TRUE God!!
Surely, inter-faith-dilogue must be possible.. But then,as Mr. Novak,says perhaps we all will be very surprised when “the day of judgment” arrives… God’s ways are indeed ‘wonderous’, who can question that??
I will wish you all a very good night.. Have fun on your camping trip Michelle..
Jews and Christians- Jews can live in the world, and still practice their faith but, they feel the need for a land to hold. Christians, like Jesus- have no place to hang their heads.
Jews do not disregard us, and we do not disregard them Sandra. Read Holy Father’s book. Jesus of Nazereth explodes your ideas.
We already know from the bible that the Jews will come to Christ in the end. And, yes- we both do worship one God.
Interfaith dialouge has been going on for years longer than I have been alive, yet it did not help my dad much years ago.
Dialouge in Catholic lingo, means we will talk to you until you get it.
Happy belated Assumption Day. Guess what? I am so grossed out by the priest saying “supposedly”….
You know what? It was an almost dead showing. No ushers even. How lame for Our Lady.
I figured out why Opus Dei is finally in Sweden. Its the best move ever for the Catholic Church. Here is why- religion only will take when society fails to meet needs. Otherwise its obscure. Sure, you will have some real devout ones there- in small number. But, organized religion only can grow in areas of calamity. Look at the Anglican situation. Where is the conservative growth?
Cardinal George is making me ashamed to be a catholic, sorry. Its so sick how he handled things. Yet, what an “orthodox” guy. Huh.
Then, I wondered why its so hard for some to send their kids to catholic school. Then I found out about that bigot James G. Blaine. 37 states are infected with his anti- catholic sentiment to this day.
Its biting them in the keister now, because finally those bigots want to get vouchers themselves! LOL
Who is James Blaine, Helen?
Is this who you mean Helen?
James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830 – January 27, 1893) was a U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, two-time United States Secretary of State.
“Blaine proposed a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the use of public funds by any religious school. The amendment did not pass at the federal level, falling only four votes short of the required two-thirds majority in the Senate, but a majority of states subsequently adopted similar laws, which are commonly known as Blaine Amendments”.
Yes, thats him. He had Catholic family members, but because he did not say anything against another politian who spewed anti catholic venom to the dumb masses, catholics did not trust him. So he retaliated with the ammendments. I have left an email asking the bigoted law be removed from not just my state. I will have to do so for all the remaining states also. Protestants were afraid that the big bad catholics would take over if they were helped in any way to send their kids to catholic school. The irony is so many were in the catholic schools! Now they want them for their schools. Typical protestant thinking.
How is school going Sandra?
If anyone is looking for Chesterton slide shows with his voice check gloria.tv and type in G.K. Chesterton in the search bar.
Hey Heklen sorry for not answering sooner I was incapacidated… I had my yearly injections in my hands and could not type (not that that is anything new
)…