Zoyd [IV spoiler]

[Mark Kohut]

The recent bio of Eliot that I read, by Kirkpatrick, argued that although Eliot felt Catholicism, Roman Catholicism in his need to believe, he had to have the English literary tradition that Anglicanism supplied. 

--- On Tue, 8/25/09, Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Zoyd [IV spoiler]
> To: "P-list" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 8:54 PM
>  alice wellintown wrote:
> 
> >
> > The Catholicism that Eliot took cold confort in is now
> just hauntings
> > and huntings for the Fisher King Christ in the Wind.
> >
> 
> wasn't Eliot C of E? ...yes
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ts_eliot
> In 1927 Eliot took two important steps in his
> self-definition. On 29
> June he converted to Anglicanism and in November he dropped
> his
> American citizenship and became a British subject. In 1928
> Eliot
> summarised his beliefs in the preface to his book, For
> Lancelot
> Andrewes, noting that "the general point of view [of the
> book's
> essays] may be described as classicist in literature,
> royalist in
> politics, and anglo-catholic in religion."
> 
> that "anglo-catholic" though...
> that's High Church, right, much attraction to and influence
> from the
> Roman Church.
> Insisting on an unbroken English apostolic succession,
> vestments,
> veneration of the Church Fathers, so forth.
> 
> As great a poet as Hopkins followed Newman "one step
> beyond" all that into
> the RC Church.  But Eliot perhaps was too old by the
> time he went Anglican to
> be influenced by a mentor like Newman, and I guess there
> wasn't one right there
> for him at that place and time.
> 
> Pound's "Goodly Fere" is a proletarian Christ.
> I sort of wish Eliot had stood pat on his "He Do the
> Police" title but
> adopted portions of Goodly Fere Christianity...
> 
> just riffing...
> 
> yeah, where is the church in these wonderful novels by the
> artist
> formerly known as OBA?  Interesting question.
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> "My God, I am fully in favor of a little leeway or the
> damnable jig is
> up! " - Hapworth Glass
>