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Thursday, January 7, 2016

GKC as the prince os paradox: Chesterton public domain library

(Chesterton, G. K. 
(Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936)

You name it,... he was considered a philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, biographer, and literary and art critic. Chesterton is often referred to as the "prince of paradox".
  Time magazine has observed of his writing style:
"Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out.

Chesterton went on the public domain library with eager fellowship:


1) Written versions at Project Gutenberg Titlesthree scores and twelve titles   (.... click   here  )

2) LibriVox oral recordings are Public Domain in the USA.
2.1. From the many titles (click here) we recommend this one:
The Sign of the Broken Sword        (48 min)   by G. K. Chesterton      Listen to one of his heroic stories about patriotism   (chauvinistic or jingoistic) here

There were two mysteries:
1. why had “‘one of the wisest men in the world acted like and idiot,’” and
2. why had a supremely chivalrous man “‘acted like a fiend’”?

      Have fun and enjoy it! Notes on the tale, .... here

From the narrative: 

   Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur sleuth. Father Brown is featured in a series of short stories where he solves mysteries and crimes using his intuition and keen understanding of human nature. The character was loosely based by Chesterton on Father John O'Connor (1870–1952), a priest involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1920.

Father Brown speaks this line after catching a criminal, hearing his confession and letting him go: 
"I caught him, with an unseen hook and an invisible line which is long enough to let him wander to the ends of the world, and still to bring him back with a twitch upon the thread."

Book Three of Brideshead Revisited is called "A Twitch Upon the Thread"... and the quotation acts as a metaphor for the operation of grace in the characters' lives. They are free to wander the world according to their free will until they are ready and receptive to God's grace, at which point he acts in their lives and effects a conversion. 
In 1974,  Kenneth More starred in a 13-episode Father Brown TV series, each episode adapted from one of Chesterton's short stories. They were released on DVD in the UK in 2003 and in the USA four years later by Acorn Media.

Two links to discover him from SCRIBD: 

Discovering GK Chesterton Feb 13 09 Web


Orthodoxy Study Guide (Pub)

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