Honoring enemies and amiable antagonists : medievalism's influence on modern relationships in the early novels of G.K. Chesterton

Honoring enemies and amiable antagonists : medievalism's influence on modern relationships in the early novels of G.K. Chesterton

Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 -- Criticism and interpretation

Medievalism in literature

Cathcart, David Wheeler

2005

Gastle, Brian W.

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This thesis analyzes the influence of nineteenth-century medievalism upon the work and character of G.K. Chesterton. Chesterton witnessed major cultural and philosophical shifts between the Victorian and Modern eras and much of his writing, whether in the form of essay, poetry, fiction, biography, criticism, or drama, addresses these sociological changes. Chesterton often used medieval ideals and symbols as his lens for examining various cultural trends.Frequently criticizing the developing modern philosophies that he viewed as destructive, Chesterton both attacked and was attacked by many public figures of a more modernist mind set, most notably George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells. Chesterton was well known for his sharp wit and robust humor which he displayed through his writing and public debates with these contemporaries. Yet, as often as Chesterton was in disagreement with his peers, underlying these confrontations was an undeniable amiability, especially in the case of G. B. Shaw. It is the argument of this thesis that the medieval ideals and images, which so saturated the United Kingdom at the end of the nineteenth-century, provided a key ingredient for Chesterton's adversarial friendships. The introduction explores the development of medieval study and interest by the time of Chesterton's birth. The first chapter examines how these influences are represented in Chesterton's personal and public life, specifically addressing the manifestations of chivalric ideals in his religious debates with Robert Blatchford and his various debates with Shaw. The final three chapters analyze the medieval presence in his first three novels The Napoleon of Notting Hill (1904), The Man Who Was Thursday (1908), and The Ball and the Cross (1909), focusing primarily on how medieval attributes and symbolism create relationships of mutual respect between adversaries. Throughout, I also explore how these attributes can simultaneously provide a source of division, yet ultimately become the means for synthesis.

2014-04-28

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