GK Chesterton
April 12th 2007 01:42
There are many things that could be said about Mr Chesterton. Some of them would even be true. But in an examination of his writing style, it would only be fair to write what is both true and what is factual.
The basic facts about Mr Chesterton when it comes to his writing we need to look at what he actually wrote in order to evaluate his style. Chesterton was many things in his life. He was a poet, play-write, essayist, novelist, public speaker and journalist. To this degree we can see that his writing style was both lofty, like a poet but practical like a journalist. Which was his charm, and no surprise when you truly consider his character. His religious leanings, temperament and acceptance of Christ were a natural extension of who he was. He yearned to have his head in the heavens but understood his need to have his feet on the ground. He never changed this formula. In fact, the more practical the topic he wrote about, the more poetic he became and the more passionate his words.
One of the most noteworthy facts about this most literary man is that while he has produced a number of educational and well thought out works, he has himself very little education. He was an autodidact with a fierce sense of humour and unquenchable joy. He blamed his career mainly on luck. A good read of his works would also suggest an almost unstoppable sense of optimism despite the amount of dangers and sorrows that he knew about in the world and indeed, the dangers and sorrows that he confronted and went through.
His politics were as inspiring as his poetry, and not lacking for poetry. His main ideal was that men should be treated equally and that there should be a more even distribution of goods in order that all men would be cared for. He was not a champion of communism, as he knew that all men were different, but he would not allow himself to be drawn into socialism, as he knew all men had their own needs. To read his works about this (in Whats Wrong With The World) his problems with politicians were mainly that they wished to reduce men to something other than men. His view was to make men more than simply creatures, and by doing so, made them all brothers.
It is said by many that his greatest work was The Everlasting Man. The book was many things and among them, an absolute triumph. It was his intent to write a book that gave the history of man from the perspective of the incarnation of Christ. He began with a practicality that insisted on poetry. His most famous way of deciding what was accurate and what was not, was to simply recall what was known and what was assumed. It is a credit to his intellect that he was very rarely convinced without using his own mind and when he used his own mind, he forced action from other people’s minds as well. His statement in the book reflected on a profound truth rarely written about. That God had to turn the world upside down in order to turn it back the right way up. But as he wrote about God so to did he write about man. He wrote about the birth of poetry in man as he wrote about the poetic fact that God was birthed as a man.
JZ
The basic facts about Mr Chesterton when it comes to his writing we need to look at what he actually wrote in order to evaluate his style. Chesterton was many things in his life. He was a poet, play-write, essayist, novelist, public speaker and journalist. To this degree we can see that his writing style was both lofty, like a poet but practical like a journalist. Which was his charm, and no surprise when you truly consider his character. His religious leanings, temperament and acceptance of Christ were a natural extension of who he was. He yearned to have his head in the heavens but understood his need to have his feet on the ground. He never changed this formula. In fact, the more practical the topic he wrote about, the more poetic he became and the more passionate his words.
One of the most noteworthy facts about this most literary man is that while he has produced a number of educational and well thought out works, he has himself very little education. He was an autodidact with a fierce sense of humour and unquenchable joy. He blamed his career mainly on luck. A good read of his works would also suggest an almost unstoppable sense of optimism despite the amount of dangers and sorrows that he knew about in the world and indeed, the dangers and sorrows that he confronted and went through.
His politics were as inspiring as his poetry, and not lacking for poetry. His main ideal was that men should be treated equally and that there should be a more even distribution of goods in order that all men would be cared for. He was not a champion of communism, as he knew that all men were different, but he would not allow himself to be drawn into socialism, as he knew all men had their own needs. To read his works about this (in Whats Wrong With The World) his problems with politicians were mainly that they wished to reduce men to something other than men. His view was to make men more than simply creatures, and by doing so, made them all brothers.
It is said by many that his greatest work was The Everlasting Man. The book was many things and among them, an absolute triumph. It was his intent to write a book that gave the history of man from the perspective of the incarnation of Christ. He began with a practicality that insisted on poetry. His most famous way of deciding what was accurate and what was not, was to simply recall what was known and what was assumed. It is a credit to his intellect that he was very rarely convinced without using his own mind and when he used his own mind, he forced action from other people’s minds as well. His statement in the book reflected on a profound truth rarely written about. That God had to turn the world upside down in order to turn it back the right way up. But as he wrote about God so to did he write about man. He wrote about the birth of poetry in man as he wrote about the poetic fact that God was birthed as a man.
JZ
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Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
Take care,
Nick
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
glad you found stuff you like.
I look forward to when you return.
JZ
Comment by Mike Crowl
Webitz
Work Report
I'm not sure that I'd agree that he had very little education; he was well-educated enough, but a huge amount of his education came through being self-taught in all sorts of areas, and being able to remember and enormous amount of facts and details, even being able to quote from books he'd only read once, and often had read years before.
A great saint and a great man.
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
No, not yet you ain't.
I agree, Chesterton was one of those rare talents that springs out of nowhere and leaves a mark on the world. I knew that he wrote St Francis of Assisi by dictation but I didn't know about any others.
I should clarify. He didn't have much education as he did not even have a uni degree. He may not have been amazingly educated but he DID learn alot.
How did you get into him?
JZ
Comment by Mike Crowl
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Work Report
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
The first is my friend Jordan, who I remember raving about him.
The second is also Jordan's fault. He lent me his copy of a video game named Deus Ex. In the game it was possible to find portions of books written by GK Chesterton. I read one or two and then decided it was time for me to become more educated about the man.
I've read the Father Brown stuff. Very funny, very brilliant.
I've also read Everlasting Man, Flying Inn, Whats Wrong With The World, Heretics, Orthodoxy, St Francis, St Thomas, the Ball and the Cross, The Man Who Was Thursday and that's about it.
JZ