A room with a view: window images and 'open immanence' in the writings of adolphe retté and G.K. chesterton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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 languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)38-52
Number of pages15
JournalLiterature and Theology
Volume26
Issue number1
Early online date13 Jul 2011
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 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/26/1/38

Keywords

  • Adolphe Retté
  • G.K. Chesterton
  • Charles Taylor
  • realist epistemology
  • window
  • reactionary character
  • secularity

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