Abstract
Adolphe Retté and G.K. Chesterton often use the image of a window, a paradox given the widespread view that Catholic writers are usually closed minded. This article asks whether Charles Taylor's philosophy of the individual could explain this paradox more satisfactorily. Chesterton's windows express a realist epistemology, while Retté's windows express the illumination of faith. The themacity of the subject in their writings, however, shows that their windows give expression to Taylor's 'open immanence', rather than Taylorian 'porosity'. Their reactionary character can be interpreted as a kind of Taylorian 'buffering' which is necessary for believing writers resisting secularity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 38-52 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Literature and Theology |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 13 Jul 2011 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2012 |
Bibliographical note
This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in [insert journal title] following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Sudlow B. A room with a view: window images and 'open immanence' in the writings of adolphe retté and G.K. chesterton. Literature and Theology. 2012 Mar 1;26(1):38-52 is available online at: http://litthe.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/1/38Keywords
- Adolphe Retté
- G.K. Chesterton
- Charles Taylor
- realist epistemology
- window
- reactionary character
- secularity