A Few Books To Read

 

As we venture into the summer months, I offer an interesting mix of books that I've read recently. Each one is so different I hope something peaks your interest.

Aesthetics Volume I, Dietrich von Hildebrand

What is beauty? This book is foundational to the true understanding of what beauty is, and what beauty isn't. Written in the 1970s, Hildebrand collects all his study and thoughts on beauty into this book, including all he wanted to say about it at the end of his life. 

The world tells us that beauty is subjective, it's in the eye of the beholder and everyone's view is different. But is that true beauty? Hildebrand argues that beauty is objective. It exists for the good that it is, and it is it's not an emotional experience. Beauty is valuable as being important-in-itself. It's not because we desire something that it is beautiful. No, it's good in and of itself whether we notice it or not, our presence or opinion is not required. This is not the way our world and culture portray what beauty is. If you listen to the world, you'll be thrown upside down by this book, and it's wonderful. Absolutely essential reading if you want to understand one of the transcendentals - beauty, truth and goodness. 

Galahad and the Grail, by Malcolm Guite

An epic undertaking, Guite has released the first volume of his re-telling of the Arthur tales, with 3 more volumes to come. As one who isn't an expert in the Arthur stories but only knows a little bit, it was so enjoyable, and I think anyone can read this. It's written in a ballad form, so it's poetry, and yet very musical with rhymes. You get into the flow of the tale and end up reading many pages before noticing. 

If you can read this out loud it would be ideal, as it will sing through the air these old stories of England. Read this for the full Christian perspective of the Arthur stories - this book focusing on Galahad and the Grail, but all the characters come into it.

Leave it to Psmith, by P.G. Wodehouse

I needed to re-read this one, because I was seeking some laughs. It's the first Wodehouse I ever read, and it's been one of the favourites I've re-read a couple times. When a young man who dresses like a gentleman and calls himself "PSmith, but the P is silent" you know you are going to be in the presence of some properly British humorous adventures. You're going to get caught up in a necklace heist scheme out at a country manor house where Psmith gets entangled as he pretends to be an artist, and you'll wonder how flower pots could possibly be involved in this mess, but somehow an essential part of the book is about flower pots. Just read it. You'll see, and you'll laugh.

The Man Who was Thursday, by G.K. Chesterton

Another one I wanted to re-read - it's a favourite Chesterton book of mine than I have re-read more than any others. Jump into this strange tale of a poet, Gabriel Syme, of London who meets an anarchist, and of course they disagree on each other's theories of life. The anarchist is offended that Syme comments that he doesn't think he's a serious anarchist. So, he brings him to the secret underground meeting spot of the anarchists and adventures begin. One that takes twists and turns across London, involving spies and disguises. In pursuit of the dark, mysterious leader of the anarchists known as Sunday, you as the reader try to make assumptions about who he is, and what is really going on underneath the surface. The ending is so mysterious, so good and thought-provoking, and seemingly pulled straight from the book of Job. I'll say no more and leave it to your reading experience. 

Spiritual Adventures - Oxford

 

The Oxford Oratory

I was here during Lent, and the start of Holy week. It means all the statues and images were veiled, as is tradition.

What a blessing to be able to be staying right next to this beautiful church so I could attend many of the services. I attended daily Mass almost every day and Vespers one evening. I stumbled in upon the stations of the cross, and then was there for Palm Sunday. I stopped in one afternoon to shop in the gift shop, and took these photos.

It was so inspiring to see the church filled up in the middle of Oxford, a city so diverse and buzzing, and like every modern city growing more and more secular. But here, many young people attended daily mass. Sunday morning was packed. The choir was immensely talented, the organ beautifully orientated to the liturgy. The community is flourishing. 

I got to experience Latin Mass in all it's beauty, music, candles, incense, and chant. I was taking it all in, and I still think about how meaning-drenched it all is. 

This is where Saint John Henry Newman preached. This is where Gerard Manley Hopkins started as a priest. And this is where J.R.R. Tolkien came to daily Mass when he was a professor at Merton, most of the latter part of his life. Tolkien lamented when the Vatican changed from the Latin Mass to the more modern Novis Ordo, but I smiled that he would appreciate that today there is Latin Mass. 

The Ashmolean 

Sacred art collection. I took a few hours one afternoon to visit the Ashmolean Museum, which contains many floors of art, artifacts, and statues, giving a visitor a sense of stepping back in time to learn about objects of meaning. It is impossible to see the whole museum in just a couple hours, so I typically select a specific collection or two and spend my time on those select rooms.

I've always been drawn to sacred art - many of these pieces would have been in a church somewhere in Europe. The detail and colours are vivid and the scenes are bold. Christ on the cross. Mary with baby Jesus. Theology is on display with paint and gold. It's like viewing illuminated manuscripts, but on the wall in large form. I love viewing illuminated manuscripts - they are astonishingly drawn in minute detail.

When I stand in front of these sacred pieces that glow, I study the emotions of the humans and angels present -  the artists are able to evoke in the expressions loss, fear, elation, sadness, quiet, trust - all the way back in the middle ages. There is meaning and beauty in all the tiny details of each artwork. 

Author Talks and Wanders - Oxford

Part of the reason I love to go to Oxford when I do, is to be there for the Oxford Literary Festival, which is a week of author talk events across the city. It's a fun way to get to hear the author's speak about their books, and you can meet them and buy their books to sign for you after the talk. I've always loved coming to various talks over the years. This year I limited myself to only three events, so I had time to dedicate to my time in the libraries. 

The first event I went to was held in the Pusey House Chapel on the topic of ignoring Christianity at our peril. In society, if the morals and values of Christianity are removed or ignored, the authors argued that we would be in a very bad state. One of the authors I was familiar with, Nick Spencer, as I had read his book called Magisteria, on the topic of faith vs. science throughout history and how much of that is a misconception of those two things being opposed to one another. The three authors were all Anglican, and they brought their perspectives of the nature of England and its history, reviewing how through time the names and meanings of the places (even England: Angle-land, owing to the Christian faith, these things come from somewhere is the point). Topics ranged from machines and viewing humans as machines, 17th century rise of science, transhumanism, to post-Christian culture. They discussed these changes and the surrounding main question of the value of a human.  

In my wandering later I visited my favourite Pret in the lovely wonky building on the corner of Cornmarket and Ship Street. I walked down the Turl, and visited the magnolia tree blooming by St. Mary's, where there was a carpet of petals forming. 

The next author talk was also held in the Pusey House Chapel, and I had time for a coffee beforehand, at Gail's, a busy and popular coffee shop/bakery. Then I walked through Wellington Square passing a charming wonky lamppost, and entered a packed session to listen to the historians Alice Loxton and Hetta Howes talk about their studies and books. They both study medieval women's lives and churches. I have read and enjoyed Alice's books, especially her newest one on Queen Eleanor and the Eleanor Crosses installed after her death back in 1290. She also focuses a lot on ancient churches and their history, along with places that have historical significance. She's lively and fun, making accessible the stories of history. I was not familiar with Hetta before the event, but bought her book and one of Alices' I didn't have. Hetta focuses on medieval women, including mystics like Julian of Norwich and Margery of Kempe.

The last talk I went to was in the Weston Library, where they had a book stall set-up just for the Literary Festival so of course I browsed, and also checked out the fun Jane Austen display on the theme of dancing in her novels. I didn't take any photos in the talk, but it was on the topic of converts into the Catholic Church, by Melanie McDonagh who wrote a book called Converts I recently read. It's a study of the many authors who converted just before or into the 20th century, including Oscar Wilde, John Henry Newman, G.K. Chesterton, Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Elizabeth Anscombe, etc. She studies who these authors were and what impacted them and their conversion. The book was so interesting, and the talk was like gaining access to her process as she spoke with a journalist mindset of digging into the history, changes, stats, and what we see now as a growth in conversions after a period of decline for many decades. She wants to expand on the why someone converted, and the stories are rather fascinating, especially viewed in today's modern lens.