In lieu of our monthly book review, the Institute encourages you
to whet your appetite for poetry by reading a wonderful short essay
by Earl Palmer on the poems of George Herbert, (d. 1633), the 17th
century Anglican poet and priest. It is called 'The "Modestly
Exquisite" Poetry of George Herbert'. As the Penguin Classics
editor of his poems says of him, 'George Herbert is either our most
major minor poet in English literature or he is the most modestly
exquisite of our major poets". In his autobiography, Surprised by
Joy, C.S. Lewis describes a poet who disturbed his atheism. He
writes: "A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be
too careful in his reading. . .the most alarming of all was George
Herbert. Here was a man who seemed to me to excel all the authors I
had ever read in conveying the very quality of life as we actually
live it… but the wretched fellow insisted on mediating it through
what I still would have called 'the Christian Mythology'." Curious
enough? Read Earl Palmer's essay on the Bishop's Institute page [or
wherever Kate, you want to direct the reader].
Earl Palmer is the brilliant lecturer who led the Institute's C.S.
Lewis weekend last September and who returns this September 23-25th
to Camp Weed to lead our Bonhoeffer weekend. His essay is published
in Radix and the Institute is grateful to Radix for allowing us to
share it with you. Radix is a fine theological-literary review and
essay magazine in the intersections where 'Christian Faith Meets
Contemporary Culture'. I have subscribed to it. Take a look at
their website: http://www.radixmagazine.com/
Douglas Dupree
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