G. K. Chesterton Books

I purchased this book because as a fan of both Lewis and Tolkien, I had hoped to gain better insight into the meaning behind their writings. I would say that my search for insight has only been slightly satisfied.

Myth Allegory and Gospel is a collection of six essays written by authors who describe themselves as "fans and scholars" of the works by Chesterton, Lewis, Tolkien and Williams. The essays are:

-Apologist of Eucatastrophe by John Warwick Montgomery
-Chesterton, Madmen and Madhouses by Russell Kirk
-Charles Williams' Novels and the Contemporary Mutation of Consciousness by Chad Walsh
-After the Moon Landings: A Further Report on the Christian Spaceman C.S. Lewis by Edmund Fuller
-The Chronicles of Narnia and the Adolescent Reader by John Warwick Montgomery
-Mythic and Christian Elements in Tolkien by Clyde S Kilby

Most of the essays speak of the Christian meaning of the books as if the reader already knows what the particulars are, so examples of the Christian meaning are rarely given. Furthermore, the writing style of some of the essays are similar to a research paper that I wrote in the eighth grade. Numerous sources are called upon in a disjoined manner in an essay that is difficult to follow. The exception is the essay by Kilby in regard to Tolkien's works and the essay by Mongomery in regard to Lewis. However, only the Kilby essay actually cites the Lord of the Rings to give examples of the Biblical connections that the other essays just assume that the reader already knows.

If you are looking for a collection of essays about the works of these authors, then this may be the book for you. But, if you are looking for more insight into these books, I would suggest that perhaps another book would be a better choice for you.

If you are a "fan" of the fantasy books by Tolkien, C.S.Lewis, Charles Williams or Chesterton, then this is a book worth reading. It is a collection of essays by various authorities in literature, myth and theology. A couple of the contributors were acquainted with either Tolkien or Lewis. The central thesis running through this collection of essays is that mythic symbols found in folk-tales and religious rituals, all express a common, fundamental human yearning for healing and a return to a "lost paradise". The essayists draw on insights from religious phenomenology, Jungian analysis, Christian theology and literary interpretation to tease out the potent mythic symbols found in the writings of Tolkien, Lewis, Chesterton and Williams. Lewis, Williams and Tolkien were associated with one another as drinking partners in an informal literary club known as The Inklings. The essayists "test" their thesis about the power of myth to reveal our search for meaning through the novels of the Inklings. The essayists take us a step further to consider the Christian world-view that informed and shaped the writings of Tolkien, Lewis, Williams and Chesterton. Although a couple of the essays are slightly "dated", any one interested in fantasy literature would find the thesis very absorbing. It should be useful not merely to students of english literature but also to the general reader who might like to know more about the backdrop to The Lord of the Rings, Narnia, etc. Certainly a book to add to your list for reading if you enjoyed the novels!

Having just read GKC's essays from 1929-1931, I noticed quite a difference in these earlier works. Here, his insights are not quite as penetrating, his humor not quite as sharp. Still, Chesterton on a bad day is better than most social/political/spiritual commentators on a good day.

Recurrent themes/subjects in this volume include:
1. The anti-democratic tendencies of England which arise in part from an immoral concentration of wealth among the ruling class.
2. England's immoral and irrational laws against the poor, and England's treatment of the poor in general.
3. Feminism and the Suffrage movement.

Also of interest are a couple essays reflecting on the disaster of the Titanic.

All in all, worth reading, but I found the volumes covering the years just before and during WWI far more interesting.

GK presents a series of brief sketches of various British types, providing insightful social commentary in the process. The cumulative effect is a fairly good portrait of English life in the early 1900's, but with a good deal less of the wit and tight reasoning that you see in most of his other works. On the other hand, there are a few sections that are as eloquent and insightful as anything I've read of GK. A real problem is that this particular edition contains no footnotes whatsoever. This makes it quite difficult to understand the full sense of GK's ideas, since the book is chock-full of obscure (today) references. Also this addition has typos all over the place.

Amazon has a much less expensive and more attractive edition of this Chesterton book available. G. K. Chesterton's Early Poetry is from Inkling Books and includes under one cover Chesterton's first three books of poetry.

1. Greybeards at Play--Chesterton's first book. It has marvelous comic verse and the original sketches by Chesterton himself.

2. The Wild Knight and Other Poems--the collection being sold here.

3. The Ballad of the White Horse--Chesterton's great epic poem about Alfred the Great.

These are inside one attractive cover, newly typeset, with all Chesterton's original illustrations for $12.44 in paperback (ISBN: 1587420341). That's Chesterton's first three books of poetry for less than half the price of this dreadfully overpriced book. Even the sturdy hardback edition of G. K. Chesterton's Early Poetry costs less at $27.32. (ISBN: 158742035X)

Seven magazine. published by the Wade Center at Wheaton University, reviewed and praised this Inkling Books edition of G. K. Chesterton Early Poetry in their most recent issue. The Wade Center is dedicated to the study of Chesterton, Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.

You can even add Chesterton Day by Day ($10.16) to your order and get the equivalent of four Chesterton books for less ($22.60) than this one overpriced book. Chesterton Day by Day is his own collection of readings drawn from his first twelve years of writing, one reading for each day of the year.

And to be completely honest, if you just need The Wild Knight and Other Poems, Quiet Vision Pub has a modest paperback edition for just $7.95.

--Michael W. Perry, Author of Untangling Tolkien

Disclaimer: I edited both Inkling editions of these Chesterton books.

Do not get me wrong, this is a very fun and interesting debate, but it is only 40 or so pages and so does not really give an adequate picture of Chesterton or Shaw. It is very helpful if you are looking into the political views of Chesterton or Shaw, but not much beyond that. I am unsure why it is so insanely expensive, so if you want to read it you should probably get it from a library like I did.

Overall grade: C+

I am a great fan of debate and this ain't a great one. There were some points in which it made me smile but overall this TINY little book is not particularly entertaining or informative. Save some effort here. The majority of the book (what there is of it) is spent discussing whether Shaw and Chesterton are socialsts. Two stars may be generous especially considering the price.

The thing is, I have nothing against the character of Father Brown. If Chesterton had been a member of the Church of England, his brilliant amateur detective might have been an Anglican priest, a vicar or rector, perhaps, and possibly married with children. But Chesterton was Roman Catholic, so his protagonist turned out to be an eccentric Roman Catholic priest, resident in England. I myself am an Anglican (a U.S. Episcopalian), and I have no issues with Father Brown as a character. There's nothing he says or does that offends me in any way.

The problem I have at age 55, nearly 56, is that I have a more critical eye than I did in the 1960's when I first read Father Brown, having discovered it in the library of my junior high school. I had just discovered Sherlock Holmes, which I loved. The thing is, I can re-read a Holmes story and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing is still readable and enjoyable. Somehow, it seems fresh and viable. Even Agatha Christie's oldest mystery novels still have liveliness.

Somehow, Father Brown nowadays lacks something. The style is a bit stilted, I think, and many references Chesterton makes are obscure and puzzling. His writing is okay, but not exciting. I find it interesting that Father Brown hasn't shown up in movies or on TV, as far as I know. Perhaps I missed something that was done in Great Britain at some point, but perhaps not. I find that Chesterton's murders aren't that interesting and his solutions aren't either.

We get to know little of Father Brown other than the fact that he's a bit of an eccentric fuddy duddy, or at least he strikes people that way. He's a pudgy, nondescript little man who would go unnoticed if it weren't for his clerical garb and distinctive hat. Beyond that, little is communicated about him that I recall, and in the end he seems a sort of stock figure, an amateur detective of great ability and little personality who offers the novelty of being a Roman Catholic parish priest. We don't even know much of his life as a priest. He doesn't seem to be associated with a particular parish.

He's not nearly as interesting or entertaining as Horace Rumpole. The dialog is even particularly entertaining.

I've read worse things, but I've also read better, even in the genre of what the Brits call detective fiction. In the end, I have to interpret this as Chesterton's way of moralizing with not all that much charm.

If you have a layover at an airport or a train station with time to kill, reading this will help pass the time. But there are other mystery stories I'd rather read for a good many reasons. Father Brown is just too ho-hum for me to lavish praise here.

In the twenties, British author Gilbert Keith Chesterton. created the Father Brown stories. A Man of the Church of Rome (Catholic), he became Chesterton's immortal detective. Listening to confessions came in handy in his sleuthing. The many and varied stories were about every conceivable subject under the sun; with religious overtones. In THE INCREDULITY OF FATHER BROWN, "The Resurrection of Father Brown (like Jesus?) leads off and contains "The Arrow of Heaven" all the way to "The Ghost of Gideon Wise." In this volume, you can find "The Blue Cross" and many others of that genre.

In thirty-five years, he wrote one hundred books about politics, philosophy, history, etc. as a form of social criticism. That was quite popular during this time. He declares that the most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen at all. In his MISCELLANY OF MAN, he informs us that appearances are deceiving; all men have their individual frailties. Men -- who needs them? You find one you think you can trust and he turns out to be an old miser with his affections; and yet he shares your messages with all his "friends" -- nothing was private with him.

Father Brown was such a man; in all these fateful mysteries and supernatural tales, he was truly incredible as he came up with solutions. As a man of God, he was considered eccentric. Some of the other volumes included 'The Innocence of Father Brown,' 'The Wisdom of Father Brown,' 'The Secrets of Father Brown,' and "The Scandal of Father Brown.' P. D. James praises him and his creator most highly. James Agee, at another age, an American, wrote "Now Let Us Praise All Men."

This sounded like a great book. I was familiar with most of the authors as tops in mystery. But what a disappointment! Except for one story, these stories are plain, lame trash. I was even dissatisfied with the pick from my favorite author, Edward Hoch. The publisher should contact me if they really want a book worthy of the title, but you, the reader, should steer clear of this book unless you have insomnia.

It was Block's name that drew me to this collection, but it turned out his story was not my favorite. I enjoyed the range of voices and themes throughout the tape. Were the stories best of the 20th century? That's a pretty big boast. I don't think it met it, but it was an enjoyable listen.

I'll admit it. I've never cared for Chesterton. He reminds me too much of another author who sets my teeth on edge: Oscar Wilde. Both of them strike me as striving too hard to be clever and not hard enough to be wise. They reach for the bon mot and neglect the argument. Sometimes the cleverness comes off, but often it doesn't--witness Chesterton's execrable little books on Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas, or his tedious Father Brown stories.

Another reason I dislike Chesterton is that he's so pugilistic. He writes with a hammer. Everything he disagrees with is "mad," "crazy," "humbug," "bosh." His arguments, when you can find one, have no finesse and acknowledge little complexity or ambiguity in the world. His apologetics overwhelm rather than convince.

Still, because so many people I admire admire him (C.S. Lewis, for one), I periodically go back to Chesterton, hoping that I'll find him more palatable. That's why I was happy to read William Griffin's collection of his writings. Chesterton, after all, wrote so much. Perhaps, I thought, I'd simply been dipping into the bad pieces, and need the expert guidance of a Chesterton authority.

But, alas. The selections that Griffin deems "essential writings" here are everything I've come to expect from Chesterton: bombastic and sometimes bullying one-liners, and the occasional insight that's usually spoiled either by not being explored fully enough or being submerged in verbal cleverness. Moreover, Mr. Griffin's Introduction to the collection tends to mimic Chesterton in both tone and content. It tries for a sardonic style, but only succeeds in irritating. Moreover, I found the discussion of paradox and hilarity, and the attempt to conclude that Chesterton's cleverness hid a deep spirituality, alternately incomprehensible and implausible.

I realize that my dislike of Chesterton isn't a legitimate reason for giving Mr. Griffin's anthology a poor rating. But my dislike of sloppy writing and poor thinking is. Had the Introduction to the collection been more cogent and less clever, perhaps I'd have finally discovered in Chesterton what I've been unable to find thus far.

The book itself is an intellectual joy. It is a series of mysteries, with some 'tween-wars political relevance, reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, although a bit more austere, and, indeed, a bit more poetic. Chesterton was very much a man of his times, and his opposition to the Balfour Declaration is couched in language that it, alas, to our ears anti-Semitic. You must bite your teeth and accept this, just as you must accept Kipling's (or Mark Twain's) use of racially inelegant language.

This particular edition, alas, is rife with typographical errors, missing words, and misspellings, and I found it unreadable. By all means buy and read "The Man Who Knew Too Much," but NOT THIS EDITION!

I purchased this book because as a fan of both Lewis and Tolkien, I had hoped to gain better insight into the meaning behind their writings. I would say that my search for insight has only been slightly satisfied.

Myth Allegory and Gospel is a collection of six essays written by authors who describe themselves as "fans and scholars" of the works by Chesterton, Lewis, Tolkien and Williams. The essays are:

-Apologist of Eucatastrophe by John Warwick Montgomery
-Chesterton, Madmen and Madhouses by Russell Kirk
-Charles Williams' Novels and the Contemporary Mutation of Consciousness by Chad Walsh
-After the Moon Landings: A Further Report on the Christian Spaceman C.S. Lewis by Edmund Fuller
-The Chronicles of Narnia and the Adolescent Reader by John Warwick Montgomery
-Mythic and Christian Elements in Tolkien by Clyde S Kilby

Most of the essays speak of the Christian meaning of the books as if the reader already knows what the particulars are, so examples of the Christian meaning are rarely given. Furthermore, the writing style of some of the essays are similar to a research paper that I wrote in the eighth grade. Numerous sources are called upon in a disjoined manner in an essay that is difficult to follow. The exception is the essay by Kilby in regard to Tolkien's works and the essay by Mongomery in regard to Lewis. However, only the Kilby essay actually cites the Lord of the Rings to give examples of the Biblical connections that the other essays just assume that the reader already knows.

If you are looking for a collection of essays about the works of these authors, then this may be the book for you. But, if you are looking for more insight into these books, I would suggest that perhaps another book would be a better choice for you.