Ignoring the quote at the beginning of each chapter of Ideas Have Consequences is a mistake. Hence, today I take some time to write about the author of the one which frames chapter four, Egotism in Work and Art.
There’s more to the quote and I challenge you to re-read it. I did several times and could not recall it from my limited Hawthorne exposure in The Scarlet Letter or The House of Seven Gables.All persons chronically diseased are egotists.
However, just those six words alone are pregnant with meaning and I'm sure I can tie them into Cindy's recent posts about parenting and discipline. But back to my framing of chapter four.
The first sentence grabbed me on several levels, not the least of which was my connection to the medical field. But that’s not where Weaver or Hawthorne were going with the thoughts. These few phrases are clipped from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, "Egotism or The Bosom Serpent" published in 1843 and nowadays readily available in a book of his short stories. Perhaps I should read it in my preparations for synopsizing and applying chapter four.
A little background on Hawthorne (1806 - 1864) from my college professor, Dr Russell Kirk, who names Hawthorne as one of his ten "most exemplary conservatives." It is significant that “on the eve of the Civil War, the two most interesting conservative thinkers (Nathaniel Hawthorne and Orestes Brownson) were men of letters (note connection to IHC chpt 3), rather than politicians. Unfortunately, they could not prevail against Abolitionists and Fire-eaters."
Furthermore, Kirk recommends reading Hawthorne as necessary in the development of the moral imagination (an Edmund Burke phrase mentioned in IHC’s chapter one - remember?). Kirk divides the reading of Great Books into four categories, which levels address the formation of the normative conscious. Hawthorne falls in the narrative history category.
Today Carmon is highlighting a noteworthy film because of its virtuous message, and I indeed hope to see Bella. In addition, however, I’m adding some Nathaniel Hawthorne to my reading list, so that when I run across him in the future I will recognize him and his influence.
I leave you with another Kirk quote:
Great books do influence societies for the better, and bad books do drag down
the general level of personal and social conduct.
Dana,
ReplyDeleteThis chapter is so convicting. That quote has been haunting me. I am only halfway through with the chapter.
I find Weaver's assessments terribly useful; and while I dont feel IHC should be required reading for any homeschool parent, I do think if one chooses to embark that the rewards will longterm.
ReplyDeleteDH thinks one of his English professors assigned reading from IHC. It could be used in a lot of different ways in all types of coursework.
Let me know how you want to proceed after our Wed editions :)
I only remember Hawthorne from The Scarlett Letter in high school (which I hated by the way - I was having a knee jerk reaction against his treatment of the Puritans), and I think a short story from college -- something about a man whose wife had a tiny birthmark on her cheek shaped like a hand that the husband tried to remove by magical arts and eventually killed his wife. Didn't like that one either because I was already prejudiced against him.
ReplyDeleteSo, do you have anything positive to say about him? Teach me. I'm all ears. Er, eyes.
:-)
I really like Hawthorne even though I think he was a bit hard on his ancestors. He was also very handsome :)
ReplyDeleteI went through a Hawthorne stage several years ago and even read a rather large biography of him. He seemed to still have a moral base at a time when much of that was going by the wayside. It is what caused him to write.
Have you ever read Hawthorne's short book _The Celestial Railroad_? It's supposed to be a retelling of sorts of _Pilgrim's Progress_, perhaps a bit like Lewis's _The Great Divorce_, though I understand he wasn't a Christian. Maybe Kelly would even like it :-). I need to dig it out and look at it again!
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the suggestions of what Hawthorne to read first, as I delve back into my *summer reading lists*.
ReplyDeleteActuallly I have told you all I know about Hawthorne and refer you to Weaver's assesment: "Hawthorne was an earnest student of erring souls and concluded after a lifetime of introspection and reflection that egotism is the unpardonable sin."
He used allegory to explain this.
I read The Celestial Railroad. It was almost a satire of Pilgrim's Progress, in a good way. There's not walking carrying a heavy burden: take the train! Go easy on yourself! It would be a great companion read to Bunyan.
ReplyDeleteHow about Grandfather's Chair? It is another Hawthorne worth reading.
Thanks for the responses, ladies! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back here -- I've had company all week and I only just now remembered I'd asked this question.
ReplyDeleteI've heard about good things "The Celestial Railroad" -- had forgotten it was Hawthorne. I'll keep what y'all said in mind and see if I can reread him in the near future.
:-)