The Devils of Loudun

[Joseph Tracy]

I too thought of In Cold Blood, so perhaps interesting and unremarked as an early foray into that literary turf. I agree that his prose lacks rhythm. To my mind his strength lies in his intellectual breadth and depth, which may also be where his weakness lies. There is also this quality of an earnest lifelong pursuit of large truths that I admire, along with his willingness  both to try and to describe psychedelics. He keeps exploring and asking big questions to the end of his life; a fate likely to be my own. He was a very good lecturer/speaker IMO.



> On Jan 12, 2016, at 7:14 PM, Becky Lindroos <bekker2 at icloud.com> wrote:
> 
> Yup - I read it a few years ago -  it is indeed creepy but historically accurate (generally).  It’s called a novel because of the dialogue and there’s a lot of speculative stuff about how characters/subjects felt, etc.  (This is not unlike Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood or that Julia Alvarez story or Mailer’s Executioner’s Song - more.)  
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudun_possessions
> 
> The book is not easy reading but imo none of Huxley’s stuff is - I think his prose totally lacks rhythm and it’s pretty dry for the subject (maybe not).   I read his book Island not too long ago.  
> 
> I think others have written about the Loudun events,  but … ??? had to look it up -   Jerzy Kawalerowicz’   Mother Joan of the Angels.    
> 
> The story has been made into a movie a couple times -  one with Vanessa Redgrave no less - titled “The Devils”  1971 British. 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devils_(film)
> 
> Kawalerowicz’ book was also made into a film.  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Joan_of_the_Angels
> 
> Becky 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Jan 12, 2016, at 11:37 AM, Joseph Tracy <brook7 at sover.net> wrote:
>> 
>> Thanks. I’m glad I asked. I would think it could make a real creepy and engaging movie. Prolly watch it after the book.
>>> On Jan 12, 2016, at 1:44 PM, Joseph Cerrato <ojpesh at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> There's a movie by Ken Russel based on these events and Huxley's book.
>>> 
>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devils_%28film%29
>>> 
>>> 2016-01-12 18:34 GMT+01:00 Joseph Tracy <brook7 at sover.net>:
>>> I am a third of the way into an Aldous Huxley work of nonfiction called the Devils of Loudun.  Sometimes he over-strains to make a point in his commentary but it is a fascinating piece of writing combining thorough historical research with a kind of psycological and spiritual analysis of  the early 1600s in France and in particular all the characters surrounding a combative, womanizing  FrenchJesuit Parson and how an incident of what was labeled as demonic posession of a group of nuns played out in the France of Cardinal Richelieu.
>>> 
>>> Has anyone else read this? Thoughts, even the briefest, would be appreciated. -
>>> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
>>> 
>> 
>> -
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