The Super-Infinite Donne

 

...in these new heavens and new earth, for ever and ever and ever, and infinite and super-infinite forevers.
- John Donne (from a funeral sermon)

The thing about historical figures is that they (over time and to our culture as it shifts focus) tend to be known for one or two things, which becomes so engrained in the social views and splashes of information, eventually leading to a sort of stereotype without understanding. Any figure who is shrouded in some cloudy historical data is prone to this kind of treatment where gaps and holes are everywhere.

An example of this would be William Shakespeare. I bet you know a lot about Shakespeare, but do you? Could you tell me much about his life at all? His process? His daily life and associations? Maybe you know that he wrote plays and then had them performed at The Globe Theatre on the river Thames in London? Another figure I have admired for many years without knowing much about in this sense is John Donne.

I have always been a bit mystified by the life of the poet John Donne, only knowing a few snippets of his story. Thanks to this new biography, I know a good bit more. He lived in London during the time of Shakespeare (1572- 1631), yet history is rather fuzzy during this era about many things regarding his family life, his siblings, and simple regular historical records. This is partly due to the great fire of 1666, which tore through the City of London and destroyed libraries, buildings, records and his home. His mother was the great-niece of the martyr Sir Thomas More (who wrote Utopia). Many members of his Catholic family were killed for their faith, including his brother who was hiding a priest in his lodgings during a time of persecution.

Such ponderings might arise, for example - did Donne and Shakespeare ever meet, and if so did they talk about poetry and the imagination? They lived at the same time and attended some of the same events. Shakespeare's plays were going on across the river Thames from where Donne lived (did Donne go to any plays? Surely he did). They lived through times of several deadly plagues and immense suffering, as well as the ongoing religious strife between Catholics and Protestants. Donne ends up converting from his Catholic background becoming a clergyman and then the Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral. He became one of the beloved and well respected figures of London as the Dean, giving many sermons that drew huge crowds.

The ends crown our works, but thou crown'st our ends,
For, at our end begins our endless rest,
This first last end, now zealously possessed,

I think I could ponder on these lines, alone, for days, and his use of the word "end" five times in three lines in relation to a crown and the infinite round circle that a crown exemplifies.

He wrote some of the most multilayered, beguiling poetry in the English language, 200 poems in fact. He was first known for his love poetry, with double meanings and sensual themes. He played with language, creating many words that have their first source of usage in the Oxford English Dictionary from Donne (the word 'commonplacer' for example). Over time as he moved into the role of a clergyman his poems retained all those multi-facets and double-meanings but directed toward the spiritual life in layers and layers of meanings hidden in the poems. I love how the author says Donne was a man so in control of his poems he could layer them with a dozen references. He could write a twelve line sonnet that will take you a week to read. I wrote in the margin next to those sentences "so true". That's definitely how I feel about his sonnets.

Thanks to this new book by Rundell, I now better connect the poems to his life with a fresh understanding and appreciation. Here is a favourite divine poem of mine, that C.S. Lewis borrows the first line for one of his essays:

What if this present were the world's last night?
Mark in my heart, O soul, where thou dost dwell,
The picture of Christ crucified, and tell
Whether that countenance can thee affright,
Tears in his eyes quench the amazing light,
Blood fills his frowns, which from his pierced head fell,
And can that tongue adjudge thee unto hell,
Which prayed forgiveness for his foes' fierce spite?
No, no; but as in my idolatry
I said to all my profane mistresses,
Beauty, of pity, foulness only is
A sign of rigour, so I say to thee,
To wicked spirits are horrid shapes assigned,
This beauteous form assures a piteous mind.

Selador: Forbidden Realms - Go Buy Your Copy!

 

Selador: Forbidden Realms is out now! 

I've been awaiting this day with heightened anticipation - the release of my new book!

Go buy your copy on Amazon

This is Book III of my Selador series (all are available on Amazon):
1. Selador: The Book of Time
2. Selador: The Secret Paths
3. Selador: Forbidden Realms

Preview section (from Chapter 7):

Sankin looked like he was going to speak, but Soren shook his head and urged him forward. 

Sankin finally did speak as they walked beyond the gate, “What is this place?” 

Soren was already musing the same question, “A city deep underground. A once wealthy and magnificent place.” 

“Why is it not still?” 

“Did we pass a soul on our way here? A city like this with several gates and checkpoints would have been very grand, and a lot of traffic would have come through here I imagine. It seems rather quieter than it once was.” 

“So this is a perfect example of my vision come to life in a larger form,” His smile was growing, “A great underground realm with so much potential – this could be inspiring.” 

Soren ignored him because he was considering the link with Selador. He proposed in his mind that when this city was bustling, the portalis was being regularly used from Selador, linking the two realms where travellers could come and go using the underground paths that would have linked several locations. 

Since that practice stopped in the Second Age, this city of Arunedil felt the direct impact of not having that link from Selador and perhaps other places. He was eager to see the city that, to him, would be a treasure of history. From what he noted of the guard’s uniform and the intricate carving of the gate, it was once a city of immense beauty and wealth. Was it still?

Will you read the whole series? 
Have you read the other two books?
I always love to hear from readers on thoughts they have on the story, so please reach out to start a conversation!
Thank you to all the support and love for my stories. It means so much.

July Reads

I haven't posted a quick reading update in a long while, so I thought I would share a few of the July reads I have been digging into and learning from. What did you read in July?

Emma by Jane Austen

I haven't read a Jane Austen novel in a long time (too long) and I would say the perfect summer time Austen book is Emma, which has been so fun to re-read. I am picking up so many of the nuances (irony and satire bits) that I absolutely missed in my previously readings years and years ago. The new film adaptation is pretty good (definitely entertaining and vibrant) but I will always say the book is better and I stand by that claim. Austen captures the social aspects and the personalities of the characters so well in the dialogues. You can tell when Ms. Bates talks on and on for a page and a half, jumping from one topic to another like a distracted squirrel, that being around her for more than a short time would be exhausting. You can read how well Emma's attitude and stance on social situations (and her matchmaking) feeds how she thinks she is correct in everything, when she is actually completely and utterly wrong, wrecking havoc over many lives. She is blind to many things, which creates the mishaps (like a comedy of errors) that occur throughout the novel. I got my mum to read this with me, and I hope she's enjoying it.

Aristotle's Way by Edith Hall

This summer I have been fully diving into philosophy. I wrote about this before, and how I missed through my schooling having any sort of adequate dive into philosophy. I am catching up now, reading and listening to lectures and talks on various thinkers through the ages. Aristotle is pretty much essential reading as an ancient philosopher who still resounds today. I read Aristotle's Poetics earlier this year and loved it, so this was a great follow-up to that, with even more information on how he lived and thought. So much of our modern view of how to live a happy life (a good life) comes from Aristotle. 

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

I have been wanting to re-read this wonderful book for a couple years now. My deeper dives into philosophy and early Greek teachings have really motivated me to pick this up again, and I am so glad I did. This book is nothing like other Lewis books, but it's right up his street if you know anything about Lewis's interests and study of myths. It's a story from the perspective of the ugly sister, Orual, to the beautiful Psyche, taking place in pre-Christian times. Their father, the king, is a bit unhinged, and he follows the priest's (to the gods) advice to sacrifice his daughter, Psyche. She is left in the wild for the beast to claim, thereby freeing the king. Psyche is, instead, claimed by the god, Cupid, who loves her and she lives in joy with him. Then, Orual travels to visit and see her sister, overjoyed to find her alive, but her jealousy changes everything.

Bullies and Saints by John Dickson

I am deeply interested in learning more about church history, leaders, and events in what has shaped the church since its establishment in the first century. Sometimes we only know the tales as they are told from one side, glossing over the background motivations behind some particular event. The church is not innocent through history - some of the decisions made by leaders of the church caused death and destruction (think about The Crusades, which is just one example). There are two sides to the actions. Good and bad have been done. I am soaking in the knowledge so I can feel my way around history and understand how sweeping changes were caused. I believe the only way to understand what might be happening in our nations and churches today is to look back and grasp some of what already happened (leading to ramifications we feel today).