Well Said: Those who worship Nature.

Nature operates through cruelty. The strong victimize the weak, the injured and ill are left to die unaided. Nature doesn't care about grief or hurt. As I grew older, through high school and college, Nature was revered, even deified. I was not seduced. I learned at a young age that those who worship Nature, worship power.

Stephen Tobolowsky, The Tobolowsky Files podcast, Episode 71

Study in Light: Brown Bear

Brown Bear
taken by Remo Savisaar

Well Said: A Great Book Written by God

Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?

St. Augustine of Hippo

In which we see the fruits of the White Moll's labors and come one step closer to Danglar's lair.

Chapters 13-14 of The White Moll are ready for your listening pleasure at Forgotten Classics!

Terence Fisher: Horror, Myth, and Religion by Paul Leggett

Terence Fisher: Horror, Myth, and Religion by Paul Leggett

"Please - I never made horror films. They're fairy tales for adults." — Terence Fisher, London Daily Telegraph, Nov. 27, 1976

Fisher's spiritual orientation is a mixture of myth, fairy tale and Christian doctrine. ... [he] remains one of the few directors in cinema history with a clear, spiritual outlook.

This book is simply fantastic as well as being extremely easy to read. The author groups his considerations into different themes which illustrate Fisher's cinematic worldview. He doesn't ignore the negative in his subject. Even films that are praised highly may be less than perfect and the author is candid about this. But reading this discussion of Fisher's films soon brings to mind how uncritical many other directors and studios have been about their worldview.

I came away with a new list of films to watch and many specific ideas about what to look for in all horror films. How are good and evil defined? Are all supernatural influences considered equal or are some superior to others? Does science trump everything or is there an acknowledgment of other forces at work?

In fact, this book could be considered a primer in looking at all films with such a lens. That is, if one wants to read about horror, Christianity, and movies.

---------------

I first heard of Terence Fisher when Christopher Lee died. Several articles mentioned a passion project of Lee's called The Devil Rides Out, directed by Fisher. Looking for the movie, I became aware of this book in Steven D. Greydanus' article The Cross and the Vampire: Religious Themes in Terence Fisher’s Hammer Horrors, which I highly recommend. A kind and generous Happy Catholic reader gave me this book as a "tip" and I gratefully devoured it in less than a week.

Worth a Thousand Words: Cleese Reads

John Cleese taking a break on the set of Monty Python and The Holy Grail. 1974.
Via Awesome People Reading

Lagniappe: Reading Mr. Dickens

Whether our great-grandchildren do or do not read Mr. Dickens, they will all have to recognize that their great-grandfathers certainly did.

George Stott, Contemporary Review, 1869

In Honor of Mary's Birthday: Special Sale on "Word by Word" Preorders

Most Catholics can recite the Hail Mary but haven’t actually reflected on the meaning of the prayer. Blogger and author Sarah Reinhard invited forty of the most popular Catholic voices, including Lisa M. Hendey, Lisa Mladinich, and Brandon Vogt, to write a brief reflection on one word of the Hail Mary.

In Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary, popular Catholic author Sarah Reinhard compiled an accessible, profound, and unique meditation on each word of the Hail Mary, one of the most important prayer traditions in Catholic life. Each of the reflections encourages readers to “slow down” with the Hail Mary and experience previously unseen dimension in the popular devotion, making it come to life in a new way. This unique, formative, and informative exploration of the beloved prayer is a gift to anyone who wants to be continually changed through it—learning to slow down and examine things more closely.

And me! I did a reflection for the series which became the book. Ave Maria's got a special deal: Preorder Word by Word for $10 PLUS FREE SHIPPING using code MARY at checkout.

Blogging Around

Stephen Colbert Reads Flannery O'Connor

Only on PRI's podcast of Selected Shorts, because it's a long story, Colbert reads The Enduring Chill.
Via Brandywine Books.

The Promise of God by Michael F. Flynn

An excellent short story that is on Michael Flynn's story preview spot for a limited time. The inspiration for the story may be found at The TOF Spot (Michael Flynn's blog).

This story was inspired by, of all people, Orson Scott Card. He was GoH at Lunacon one year and gave a presentation called IIRC "One hundred ideas per hour." It was a mass brainstorming session by which he sought to elicit story ideas from the attendees to show how simple it was to generate such ideas. It was quite an interactive session. After deciding on fantasy and a female protagonist and a few other things, he proposed that magic, like an action in physics, elicits a reaction. One such reaction, which he discarded, was that every time a magician casts a spell, he loses part of his soul. (He was getting multiple ideas at each stage of brainstorming.)

TOF was in the back of the room and when this idea was suggested he said, "Oh!" and this story was conceived. ...

Pro-Life Means Pro-Risk

We need to get over this bourgeois bohemian obsession with order and plans, and open ourselves up to risk in many ways.

Maybe today's youth are too responsible, says Tristyn Bloom, and then goes on to examine the pro-life culture through that lens. Via Darwin Catholic, who adds some solid comments of his own.

Year of Mercy: Pope Francis to Allow All Priests to Grant Absolution for Abortion

I was surprised at what a big deal people thought this was, until I read this Wall Street Journal article which explained that there is an automatic excommunication accompanying abortion which only the bishop can rescind. I knew nothing of this.

Turns out that is because this is an area the U.S. has already handled because many American bishops have already allowed this for priests in their diocese. So this is an area where our local Church has been doing something different than the global Church. Interesting.

According to Nicholas Cafardi, a professor of law at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, the concession won’t have a large practical effect in the U.S., because many American bishops have already delegated their authority. In other dioceses, he added, “many priests go looking for reasons why the automatic excommunication doesn’t apply.”

The Curt Jester has commentary about media coverage on this story, with which I agree, as well as some good links. The Deacon's Bench's coverage of this issue includes the Catechism reading on abortion.

Vatican Says "No" to Transsexual Godparents"

Pity the poor bishop who had to take this one to the home office. But their answer makes sense when you read the whole thing. The money quote:

In the Vatican’s full response – which the bishop provided in his statement – the congregation explained that transsexual behavior “reveals in a public way an attitude opposite to the moral imperative of solving the problem of sexual identity according to the truth of one's own sexuality.”

“Therefore it is evident that this person does not possess the requirement of leading a life according to the faith and in the position of godfather and is therefore unable to be admitted to the position of godfather or godmother,” they said, referring to canon 874 §3 in the Code of Canon Law.

However, the congregation stressed that there is “no discrimination toward (Alex), but only the recognition of an objective lack of the requirements, which by their nature are necessary to assume the ecclesial responsibility of being a godfather.”

Via The Deacon's Bench.

Well Said: The influence of any amiable honest-hearted duty-doing man

It is not possible to know how far the influence of any amiable honest-hearted duty-doing man flies out into the world; but it is very possible to know how it has touched one's self in going by.

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

In which the White Moll is part of a gang caper!

Episode 285 of Forgotten Classics!

Worth a Thousand Words: Im Urwald

Edward B. Gordon

If I didn't know better, I'd swear this landscape is in the Louisiana swamps instead of Germany.

Well Said: Always we are chasing words

Always we are chasing words, and always words recede. But the greatest experiences are those for which we have no expression. To live only on that which we say is to wallow in the dust, instead of digging up the soil. How shall we ignore the mystery, in which we are involved, to which we are attached by our very existence?

Abraham Heschel, Man is Not Alone

Well Said: Who should we listen to?

The creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this? Let the philosopher no longer disdain from listening to the common laborer; the wise, to the simple; the educated, to the illiterate; a child of a prince, to a peasant.

St. Anthony of Padua

Book Love: Dragons and the Napoleonic War — Naomi Novik

I've begun reading a series that I'd avoided until I saw Scott Sigler talk about it on GoodReads.

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik is the first of the series. It takes the idea of "what if" there were dragons during the Napoleonic Wars. We follow a Naval lieutenant who is forced through unforeseen circumstances to be partnered up with a dragon.

I'm tired of alternate histories. I'm tired of dragons. I never cared much for the Napoleonic war. So you may understand why I was avoiding the books. The part that made me sample the book, however, was Sigler saying that the author tells the story absolutely from the 18th century sensibility that the people would have had back then. Because another thing I'm tired of is people using alternate histories to push their own ideas of how our swingin' modern times would've made everything better if only they'd have been more enlightened in the past.

Novik perfectly juggles all those elements while telling a great adventure story. The dragon part is handled really well (no telepathy, for example). Though they can talk it isn't weird. They just become characters.

The idea of how air battles would have changed the war is interesting. (Not that I know about that particular war, but I can tell things are being changed around.) I also really like the ingenuity shown in having the dragons not only fight but carry their crew, who have rifles and bombs to do their own damage. I admit, I tend to skim the battle scenes but there is plenty to read about besides the war.

Novik is not only good at historical realism but she has logically extended the concept of how dragons would change things in a lot of directions. For example there are all sorts of dragons from small to huge, stupid to smart, pleasant to cunning. Different breeds of dragons have different skills, many of which reflect bits of our folk stories about dragons.

As our heroes travel on diplomatic journeys and get caught up in battles, we see that the ways the dragons are treated reflects the societies they encounter. Novik's got the British Empire to work with and she uses it to good purpose.

Best of all is the relationship between Captain Laurence and Temeraire. It allows the author to explore ideas and society as the experienced naval captain is forced to learn the ropes in the Aerial Corps and also explain the world to his quickly growing young dragon partner. We learn to love both of them.

Plus Novik is just darned good at writing exciting yarns.

The library has these available as ebooks and I've been tossing them back like popcorn. There are eight books in the series, with seven published and the last one due out next year.

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Captain Laurence of the HMS Reliant captures a French frigate which has an unexpected treasure aboard: an unhatched dragon egg. You don't even need to guess who the dragonet picks for his partner,. We knew that going in.

Laurence is removed from his orderly naval career and thrust into the Aerial Corps to learn airborne battle. Just how flexible is Laurence? Because these airboys aren't much good with formality. Good thing he's got Temeraire which more than makes up for anything he suffers.


Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
Laurence and Temeraire are part of a diplomatic mission the court of the Chinese emperor. Huzzah! China (and Chinese dragons) in 1800. It's hard to get more exotic than that. And a nemesis is acquired.

On the way, Temeraire is exposed to human slavery and this takes his philosophical musings on an unexpected path which opens up the whole abolition conversation, which was in full swing in Great Britain at the time. Very interesting.



Black Powder War by Naomi Novik

On the way back from China, Laurence and Temeraire are ordered to swing through the Ottoman Empire to pick up some unhatched dragon eggs to bring home to Britain. The Silk Road! Istanbul (harems!).

On the road back through Prussia, they are diverted to help with the war and for the first time I enjoyed reading the battle scenes. Maybe it's because I have a crush on the King and Queen. Can they be my rulers?

Of course, the nemesis is wreaking as much trouble as possible. Grrrrr.

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik

In the heart of deepest Africa Novik flirts delightfully with the shades of H. Rider Haggard and Zulu. That's the middle of the story, however, with the beginning and end solidly holding down the Napoleonic war setting.

By this point in the series the abolitionist movement is as much of a theme as the Napoleonic threat. What makes an individual a person instead of a thing just can't be avoided (as my beloved Uncle Tom's Cabin reminds us). I read a review where someone remarked that Novik "like all modern authors" couldn't resist including 1960s style civil rights topics. To read the book this way is to do a real injustice to the actual history of the abolition movement in England.

Novik does explore the topic from a range of views, which is something the dragons allows most interestingly since most people believe them to be something like well trained dogs. But it is well done and adds some needed depth to the story, in my opinion.

Worth a Thousand Words: Dunlin

Dunlin
taken by the incomparable Remo Savisaar

Well Said: Our tongues sang for joy

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
then we thought we were dreaming.
Our mouths were filled with laughter;
our tongues sang for joy.

Psalm 126

Isn't this the perfect description of the feeling that sweeps over you when God does something wonderful for you?

I love the way that Hebrew poetry uses the second line of a couplet not for rhyming but for a second way to emphasize what they are saying.

"Mouths filled with laughter, tongues singing for joy." Yes.

Worth a Thousand Words: Summer

James Tissot, Summer
via Arts Everyday Living

Well Said: the news isn't all the news

[My mother] turned on the TV but muted the sound. People were looting an electronics store, taking TVs and stereos.

"There's something you need to understand, Jonah. For every person who's stealing and setting fires and turning over police cars, there are three or four others in the same neighborhood who want no part of it, who're more afraid of lawbreakers than they are of the law."

"Doesn't look that way."

"Because the TV only shows you the ones who're doing it. The news isn't all the news, Jonah. Not by a long shot. It's just what reporters want to tell you about. Riots come and go, wars come and go, but under the tumult, day after day, century after century, millions of people are doing nice things for one another, making sacrifices, mostly small things, but it's all those little kindnesses that hold civilization together, all those people who live quiet lives and never make the news."

On the silent TV, as the face of the anchorman replaced the riots, I said, "I don't know about that."

"Well I do."

The anchorman was replaced by a wind-whipped rain-lashed town over which towered a giant funnel cloud that tore a house apart in an instant and sucked the ruins off the face of the Earth.

"When weather's big news," my mother said, "it's a hurricane, a tornado, a tidal wave. Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time, Mother Nature isn't destroying things, she's nurturing us, but that's not what gets ratings or sells papers."

Dean Koontz, The City

This book is set in the chaotic 1960s and does a good job of showing the uncertainty it brings to Americans' lives, especially if the narrator is a 9 year old black boy. The times we live in are no less chaotic and, if anything, more filled with the bad news people want to tell us about. Dean Koontz's words remind us of the reality beneath the chatter of ceaseless news.

How to Be a Christian and a Lady Under Trying Circumstances

There was one rather funny moment: I was waiting on the stairs during the Hugo ceremony rehearsal and chatting with the lady behind me. She started in on the speech she was going to give if she won. It became clear early on, it was going to be anti-puppy rant.

I leaned down from the stair above her and said, "Before you say anything you might later wish you had not, I think you should know that I am standing here because I am accepting for Vox Day."

She blurted out in shock, "I am so sorry for you."

I added, "I'm John Wright's wife."

Ken Lui, who was standing behind her, burst out into good natured laughter.

The artist lady and I parted on good terms, but the moment still amused me. It reminded me of the kind of scene you see in movies.

I knew the Hugo Awards were probably going to be unpleasant ever since the progressive vs. conservative culture wars broke out during the nominations. So I haven't read about them but from what I've glimpsed "unpleasant" seems to be the right adjective.

I was therefore impressed at the light, joyful feel of L. Jagi Lamplighter's Post Hugo Post.

She is John C. Wright's wife and, as his nominations were considered controversial, one might expect a tone of bitterness or hurt to come creeping through.

She's smart, she's funny, but most of all, as this post demonstrates, she is a lady and a Christian. Do go read it. It's a great example to all of us in these divisive times.