Friday, October 22, 2010

Charles Williams, theologian

"It is not, of course, possible to deny that heaven—in the sense of salvation, bliss, or the presence of God—can exist in space; that would be to deny the Incarnation. But heaven, as such, only exists because of the nature of God, and to his existence alone all bliss is related. In a Jewish tradition God was called “the Place” because all places were referred to him, but not he to any place. With this in mind it might be well that private meditation should sometimes vary the original clause by “Our Father in whom is heaven”. The change is for discipline of the mind, for though it is incapable of the apparent superficiality yet it is also incapable of the greater profundity of the original. That depth prevents another error as easy as the first and perhaps more dangerous. It is comparatively easy to train the mind to remember that the nature of God is not primarily spatial; it is not quite so easy to remember that it is not primarily paternal—that is, that he does not exist primarily for us."
He Came Down From Heaven, Charles Williams

I cannot call this a book review because too much time has passed since I first read Charles Williams's book, He Came Down From Heaven. It is more of a meandering, and as the ideas of this Inkling roll over and over in my head I begin to comprehend their significance. I have to read him slower than most writers, endeavoring to absorb. The way he writes, George Eliot calls “a severe mental scamper.” If one attempts to define every line of his poetry or to quickly grasp the ideas of his books, they will go one way and miss him coming from the other direction. One must withhold judgment, in a sense, keep reading,and join him in the mental scamper to understand what he seeks. Perhaps reading Williams is like eating lobster tail or some such dish that you must work to get at but is more than worth all of the effort.

Williams's idea of Love- the theology of Romantic Love,and the practice of Substituted Love are explored in He Came Down From Heaven. In talking of Jesus's Incarnation,
Man having got himself into a state when he was capable of willingly shedding blood, the shedding of blood could no longer be neglected.

And,
What mankind could not do, manhood (the Son of Man) did, and a manhood which was at the disposal of all men and women.

On prayer,
Prayer, like everything else, was meant for a means of joy; but, in our knowledge of the good as evil, we have to recover it so, and it is not an easy thing. Prayer is thought of as a means to an end, but the end itself is sometimes only the means to the means, as with all love.

On repentance,
...repentance is no more than a passionate intention to know all things after the mode of heaven...

Williams is primarily thought of as a writer of novels, of supernatural stories- not as a theologian. In fact Thomas Howard asserted that he only knew of one theologian, Urs von Balthasar, who was interested in Williams as a theologian.

Henry Carpenter, in The Inklings, wrote that Williams
seemed in fact to be able to express his own thoughts best by taking phrases from the great poets, seemed to think largely in poetry...

Perhaps this is why so many are unable to understand the mental scamper. His writing reveals an intensity and emotion. Williams's father taught him that there were many sides to every argument, taught him that he must understand the reasoning too, taught him to absorb doubt and disbelief into his own beliefs.

When reading him, I am repeatedly struck with his reflections on Love. The influence of George MacDonald is obvious. Charles Williams considered that love towards another human being might be a step towards God. He also wrote that "Self-sacrifice (even Martyrdom) by itself (without love) is as remote from the way of salvation as self-indulgence."

Williams believed that
Hell has made three principal attacks on the Way of Romantic Love. The dangerous assumptions produced are: (1) the assumption that it will naturally be everlasting; (2) the assumption that it is personal; (3) the assumption that it is sufficient.

In a poem to Williams after his death, C.S.Lewis wrote
Your death blows a strange bugle call, friend, and all is hard
To see plainly or record truly. The new light imposes change,
Re-adjusts all a life-landscape as it thrusts down its probe from the sky,
To create shadows, to reveal waters, to erect hills and deepen glens.
The slant alters. I can't see the old contours. It's a larger world
Than I once thought it. I wince, caught in the bleak air that blows on
the ridge.
Is it the first sting of the great winter, the world-waning? Or the cold of
spring?

A hard question and worth talking a whole night on.
But with whom? Of whom now can I ask guidance? With what friend concerning your death
Is it worth while to exchange thoughts unless—oh unless it were you?

We can no longer ask guidance or exchange thoughts with Charles Williams, but we can (if we can exert ourselves) join in the mental scamper.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

JA quote contest at an end

The JA quote contest is at an end. The answers are as follows,

1) "Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant. To come with a well-informed mind is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman, especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can." ~Northanger Abby This is Jane Austen's teasing voice (or is it Henry Tilney's?) in reference to Catherine attracting Henry.

2) "...for he was in the room again, and though feeling it would be a great honour to be asked by him, she thought it must happen. He came towards their little circle; but instead of asking her to dance, drew a chair near her, and gave her an account of the present state of a sick horse, and the opinion of the groom, from whom he had just parted." ~ Mansfield Park Grace was correct. This is between Fanny and her cousin Tom.

3) "...and be the conclusion of the present suspense good or bad, her affection would be his forever. Their union, she believed, could not divide her more from other men than their final separation." ~Persuasion These are Anne's thoughts on marriage to Wentworth.

4) " ...the perturbation of her feelings was every moment increasing. She was quite amazed at her own discomposure...and more than commonly anxious to please, she naturally suspected that every power of pleasing would fail her. She retreated from the window, fearful of being seen; and as she walked up and down the room, endeavouring to compose herself, saw such looks of inquiring surprise from her friends, as made everything worse." ~Pride & Prejudice This is Elizabeth when she hears that Darcy is coming to pay her a call.

Therefore, the winner is...SARAH! I am impressed with the bravery of all of you in competing against Sarah on this one. I really, really am. You all showed that you would not be daunted by a crazy JA fan. I really can't applaud you enough. And you never know, maybe next time she will be too busy to speed read the completed works.

Ruth, you got 3 out of 4. Way to go! Bess, you guessed all of the right titles (your ordering was just a bit off). Thanks all for playing. It was quite a diverting amusement.

Sarah's prize is a Wodehouse book called, Full Moon. I have been in the mood to read little else besides ol' Plum lately. I hope you enjoy it (apologies for the front cover being worn). The description on the back of the book reads, "As the full moon waxes over Blandings Castle, young love flounders in the Ninth Earl of Emsworth's shrubbery, and Landseer is commissioned to paint the prize pig's portrait." (Oh yeah, this is going to be good.)


Note: Images used are from sarahemsley.com
(Sarah Emsley,
"The Jane Austen Playgroup")

the happy misfit blog

I found this blog http://thehappymisfit.blogspot.com/ worthwhile and enjoyable to read. She has posts raising children, Fun Games to Play with Your Kids While Stuck in Traffic, The not so obvious needs of a preteen, as well as other topics, Power Hungry Girls, Manipulations of the "Perfect Wife". She also writes about God's love toward us, our relationship with our children, and a host of other topics. It was great to be reminded of these things while gaining a fresh perspective.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Enya

Listening to Enya is rather pleasant on this rainy day. (Click on the titles below.)

Trains and Winter Rains

It's In The Rain

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Edouard Manet - Young Girl on a Bench

impressions


"Now he's changing his manners because he want her to say yes to him.
"

(Ahlana observing Mr Darcy's behavior when he and Elizabeth meet up at Pemberley.)

JA quote contest



Those of you who have not been able to make it to the customary dog races may be feeling the need to bet your shirt on something. Here is your chance. Below are 4 quotes from 4 of the 6 novels of Jane Austen. They are numbered for your voting convenience. Simply tell us which quote is from which book. (You may thumb through her books if you think it might help.)




1) "Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant. To come with a well-informed mind is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman, especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can."

2) "...for he was in the room again, and though feeling it would be a great honour to be asked by him, she thought it must happen. He came towards their little circle; but instead of asking her to dance, drew a chair near her, and gave her an account of the present state of a sick horse, and the opinion of the groom, from whom he had just parted."

3) "...and be the conclusion of the present suspense good or bad, her affection would be his forever. Their union, she believed, could not divide her more from other men than their final separation."

4) " ...the perturbation of her feelings was every moment increasing. She was quite amazed at her own discomposure...and more than commonly anxious to please, she naturally suspected that every power of pleasing would fail her. She retreated from the window, fearful of being seen; and as she walked up and down the room, endeavouring to compose herself, saw such looks of inquiring surprise from her friends, as made everything worse."

Friday, October 8, 2010

Ode to the Mustard Green



We have the most stunning mustard greens in our garden. What's more the flavor will knock your socks off! These greens are like nothing I've ever bought at the grocery. Chartreuse, luscious in the looks department, and in the taste department possessing the devilry of horseradish and wasabi. The following recipe is our favorite way to eat them (so far). Anyone who wants some let me know.



Potato, Greens, and Goat Cheese Quesadillas
1 1/3 cups (about 2 medium) cubed potato (Yukon Gold is good), cooked till tender
2-3 teaspoons chili powder
5 to 6 ounces coarsely grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/3 cups jarred salsa verde
4-5 cups coarsely chopped stemmed mustard greens, divided
10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
3-4 ounces chilled fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
Butter

Preheat
oven to 425. Place cooked potato in large bowl; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Toss to coat. Cool potatoes. Mix in Jack cheese. Meanwhile, blend salsa and 2/3 cup (packed) greens in mini processor until greens are finely chopped.

Arrange 5 tortillas on large baking sheet. Butter one side of each tortilla. Place buttered side down on baking sheet. Divide remaining greens between bottom half of each. Top greens with potato mixture, then goat cheese and 2 tablespoons salsa mixture for each. Top w/ remaining 5 tortillas over filling, pressing gently. Brush top with butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 7-10 minutes each side. Cut each quesadilla into quarters. Serve with remaining salsa. No need to serve them with anything else, except perhaps a nice Red. (The original idea for this recipe came from bon appetit.)

Another great way to eat mustard greens is in sandwiches. The one I made last night contained (along with mustard greens) blue cheese, bacon, caramelized purple onion, and a bit of mayo.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Life is pretty easy
When it's from my easy-chair
~Goo Goo Dolls

Sunday, October 3, 2010

more from JA

I make no apologies for my heroine's vanity. - If there are young ladies in the world at her time of life, more dull of fancy and more careless of pleasing, I know them not, and never wish to know them. ~ Sanditon by Jane Austen

on death

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing. ~C.S.Lewis
(on the death of his wife)


There is something horrible, something unfair about death which no religious conviction can overcome. ~Warnie Lewis
(on the death of C.S.Lewis)