Wilbur Blog: The Strangeness of Mercy

$King\'s Meadow$

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

You cannot conceive, nor can I, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God.
—Graham Greene, Brighton Rock

book-end said...: I was introduced to "Brighton Rock" the novel before I met the stick candy for sale along the waterfront in the decadent ocean resort. It was one of several titles studied in a course called "Modern Novels in Film" at Wroxton College in Oxfordshire. Half-way through the course, I asked my British professor if he had chosen the books because they were Classics or because they were Christian. His answer? "Yes. A Classic tells the truth about the human condition as does Christianity." It was refreshing to be challenged in an academic situation not bound by political correctedness.; April 24, 2008 12:02 AM
Greg said...: Thanks for the comment. I'm curious, what were the other titles you studied?

Thanks!
Greg; April 24, 2008 1:09 PM
book-end said...: Taught by a wonderful British professor, we studied:
Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited"
Lynn Reid Banks' "The L-shaped Room"
William Golding's "Lord of the Flies"

I loved the course and developed a similar course "From Page to Image" with novels from 4 centuries:
FIelding's "Tom Jones", Austen's "Persuasion", Bronte's "Jane Eyre" and Goldings "Lord of the Flies."; April 28, 2008 12:54 AM