Wednesday, November 16, 2011

December meeting

It is now time to decide when we will hold the December meeting of the St. Sebastian Chesterton Society. Since we had a road trip for the November meeting (details on Fr. V's blog here), we couldn't conveniently decide on a date. Not all of us have Magic Phone. Possible dates are 12/4, 12/11, and 12/18. We must also decide what the topic will be. I've been hankering for a novel, and when I mentioned this to Matt A, he responded:
Two of Chesterton's novels that I really enjoyed are The Napoleon of Notting Hill and The Flying Inn. The first is a celebration of localism, which features a futuristic London that is broken up into shires. Adam Wayne, the hero of the novel, defends Notting Hill and specifically Pump Street against the threat of take-over by big government types. It's a funny, thought-provoking read. The Flying Inn is also set in a futuristic England in which Islam has taken over and outlawed alcohol. The heroes of the story take kegs of booze around England in a cart (hence the name!), allowing the faithful to drink their fill. Another funny novel, but it raises serious questions about the aggressive nature of Islam and its clash with Christianity. Some of Chesterton's depictions of how Islamic leaders changed the laws in England are positively eerie in light of modern events.

The Man Who Was Thursday is another popular novel, though I did not are for it as much.


So, any other ideas? Please post comments or email the group and we will decide that way.

2 comments:

  1. I think meeting on the 4th or 11th would be good. As for what to read, I'm not sure. I haven't read any of his novels. However, I came across the title Manalive while looking through Chesterton's bibliography. Could be another one to consider.

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  2. O.k., I'm up for the 18th. Just say the word...

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