Wednesday, April 15, 2015

The Breathtaking Insights of Lucy Beckett Continue

Dear Misfits,

We had another wonderful evening last Wednesday discussing another 5 chapters in Lucy Beckett's great book, In the Light of Christ.  The  book is a remarkable survey of "Writings in the Western Tradition" as described in the sub-title to the book.  We have now read 10 chapters and have unanimously decided to continue reading the remaining 14 Chapters.  We have found that each chapter is or could be a "stand alone" in that the insights Beckett draws from Western literature beginning with the Greeks and extending through writers in our present age illustrates how the Grace of God acts upon the human mind in the authors she examines.  Some of her insights can only be described as breathtaking.

So, we will continue to read and be inspired by our Lucy Beckett, a woman we have found to be of great brilliance and inspiring faith.  Therefore, we will read Chapters 7-11 and discuss those chapters at our next meeting on Wednesday, May 13th at 7:00 pm, the Church of St. Michael.  (We always meet in the St. Thomas More Library room).



But here is a twist.  Our readings for next month discuss the writing of  William Shakespeare.  Therefore, have decide to let Beckett rest a bit in our minds and read and discuss Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth for our June book.  We have been wanting to read another work from Shakespeare for sometime now.   So this seems a good time to do it.  Macbeth is considered one of Shakespeare's darkest and most powerful works. Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when evil is chosen as a way to fulfill the ambition for power.  (Do you think we might find some modern parallels in this work?  I'll just bet we do!)

Finally, it is such a great pleasure to read and discuss with you, the truly great novels, biographies, and plays that make up our Catholic literary tradition.   We've been reading these literary classics for almost 15 years.  And we've barely scratched the surface!

God bless each of you.  He is risen!

Misfit Buzz

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"The good, the true and the beautiful—it is for these that our souls long. Though they reside in unity and perfection in God alone, the written word is one place we can discover glimmers of divine light.   The writings of great souls can turn our gaze toward God as he is revealed in Jesus Christ. Even authors who do not know Christ or who reject Christ can still point to him, for anyone who seeks the truth finds it; and any one who turns his back on the truth turns away from a someone whose presence can often be more keenly felt in his absence."


----Lucy Beckett

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