4d • General discussion
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JANUARY - Introduction to Newman
Week 1-2: Apologia Pro Vita Sua by John Henry Newman (15-20 min/day)
∙ Start with Part VII (the most accessible section about his conversion)
∙ This is Newman’s spiritual autobiography defending his conversion to Catholicism
∙ Read slowly; it’s dense but beautifully written
Week 3-4: Newman’s Selected Sermons (15-20 min/day)
∙ “The Second Spring” (his most famous sermon on Catholic restoration in England)
∙ “The Parting of Friends” (his final Anglican sermon, 1843)
∙ Available in Parochial and Plain Sermons or anthologies
FEBRUARY - Hopkins’ Poetry
Entire month: Gerard Manley Hopkins poems (25 min/day)
Read 1-2 poems daily with commentary. His poems are short but incredibly rich.
Week 1:
∙ “God’s Grandeur”
∙ “The Windhover” (his masterpiece)
∙ “Pied Beauty”
∙ “Spring”
Week 2:
∙ “As Kingfishers Catch Fire”
∙ “The Starlight Night”
∙ “Hurrahing in Harvest”
Week 3:
∙ “Felix Randal”
∙ “Spring and Fall”
∙ “Carrion Comfort” (one of his “terrible sonnets”)
Week 4:
∙ “No Worst, There Is None”
∙ “I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark”
∙ “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord”
∙ His letters (excerpts about his poetic theory of “inscape” and “instress”)
Recommended edition: Gerard Manley Hopkins: The Major Works (Oxford World’s Classics) - includes helpful notes
MARCH - Tolkien (lighter reading)
Week 1-2: Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien (10-15 min/day)
∙ Short allegorical story about art, purgatory, and creativity
∙ Then read Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy-Stories”
Week 3-4: The Silmarillion - Selected chapters (20-30 min/day)
∙ “Ainulindalë” (The Music of the Ainur - creation story)
∙ “Of Beren and Lúthien” (the great love story)
∙ These show his Catholic imagination about creation, fall, and redemption
Alternative if you prefer: Read his letters about faith from The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, especially Letter 142 (to his son about the Eucharist) and Letter 156 (about The Lord of the Rings’ Catholic elements)
APRIL- Belloc’s Historical Works
Week 1-3: The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc (25-30 min/day)
∙ A travelogue/pilgrimage account - witty, personal, wonderful
∙ His most accessible and entertaining book
∙ Combines walking journey with Catholic reflection
Week 4: Belloc’s Essays (20-30 min/day)
∙ “On Sacramental Things”
∙ Essays from On Everything or On Anything
∙ His style is punchy and opinionated - refreshing after Newman’s complexity
MAY - Knox and More Newman
Week 1-2: Ronald Knox - Selected works (20-30 min/day)
∙ The Belief of Catholics (apologetics, very clear and logical)
∙ Or selections from Enthusiasm: A Chapter in the History of Religion
∙ Knox is witty and accessible
Week 3-4: Return to Newman (25-30 min/day)
∙ The Idea of a University - Discourse V (“Knowledge Its Own End”) and Discourse VII (“Knowledge Viewed in Relation to Professional Skill”)
∙ These are brilliant essays on education’s purpose
JUNE - C.S. Lewis
Week 1-2: C.S. Lewis (20-30 min/day)
∙ Mere Christianity - Book II (“What Christians Believe”) and Book III (“Christian Behavior”)
∙ Or The Screwtape Letters (fun, satirical, profound)
Week 3: Edmund Campion (15-20 min/day)
∙ Evelyn Waugh’s biography Edmund Campion (short, readable)
∙ Or read Campion’s own “Brag” (his challenge to Protestant authorities)
TBD - JULY, AUGUST
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