TRTR(1) Religious References in Chapter 1

[Richard Ryan]

Good points.  Some comments below...

On Sun, Apr 10, 2011 at 10:48 PM, Michael Bailey
<michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com> wrote:
> (dialing back a little on the "idiosyncratic digressive reading" control...)
>
> Here are some thoughts on the religious references in the first chapter:
>
> a) the trinity is recapitulated in the Gwyon household - Father, Son
> and presumably May would represent the Holy Spirit.  Naturally, as we
> see thru a glass darkly, they are flawed in distinctive ways.

***Wouldn't the Holy Spirit be Camilla?

>
> b) Protestants' attraction to the Catholic "mothership" is a known
> phenomenon.  Gwyon's manifestation of that is humorously (or
> sarcastically, if you prefer) different from say, Newman's or
> Hopkins's.

***Gwyon's attraction is more temperamental as intellectual.


> c) Gwyon's culture, his exposure to Amerind beliefs and the classical
> writers, is wider than orthodoxy, so to speak.
> "He was certainly too interested in what he saw about him." (p8,
> Penguin 1993 edition, the one with the picture of the
> tormented-looking guy - or is he ecstatic? - on the front cover)

***Yep.
>
> d) a lot of the stuff Reverend Gwyon says is actually pretty cool...he
> seems to have a real appreciation for the lore he imparts
>

***The Rev. is a proto-hippie.  He'd make a good Pynchon character.

> e) Aunt May's misunderstandings and the conservative misgivings of his
> flock don't become problems until after the loss of Camilla, or rather
> till after Wyatt's illness and recovery.  By this point, Reverend
> Gwyon is pouring forth wonderful multi-culti stuff, and what he really
> ought to do is helm a Unitarian church
> But even his Protestant flock (do we get the exact denomination
> anywhere? I scoured the chapter..) - even they are pretty tolerant.
> In their hearts, they know he's right...at least they don't fire him
> outright...until his despair overcomes not just his faith but his good
> sense...

***Gwyon is the pastor of the First Congregational Church.
Congregationalism is a fascinating denomination, in that it can
encompass a very progressive social outlook (the Congregationalists
were central to the abolitionist and suffragist movements) and very
austere or even severe theological mindset.  Rev.  Gwyon and Aunt May
or two different sides of the same Congregational coin.


>
> f) this is not specifically a religious item but, what the heck really
> happens with the Barbary ape and Wyatt waking up?  I get this
> impression that maybe RG sacrificed the ape in Wyatt's room to cure
> him?  I know that isn't in the text...is it?

****Hmmmm.....

>
>  g) Adamo de Brescia - I sneaked a peek and he's not only on page 5
> but also the last page (956 in the Penguin) big ol' counterfeiter...

****Double Hmmmm

>
> h) San Zwingli - village where Rev G has Camilla buried, Saint Zwingli
> - now, Zwingli, please correct me if I'm wrong, was a notable Swiss
> Protestant
> -- again, humor.

***Yep.Very recondite humor.  Quite incidentally, Zwingli's church in
Zurich is beautiful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grossm%C3%BCnster