The Gospel of Lear
Buechner on Shakespeare and his King Lear:
Insofar as the truth is tragic, he told a tragedy of men and women suffering more than even their own folly and wickedness seem to merit. Insofar as the truth is comic, both in the sense of a kind of terrible funniness and of a happy end to all that is terrible, he told a comedy of madmen and fools. Insofar as the truth transcends all such distinctions and points beyond itself, he told a kind of fairy tale where everybody is disguised as something he or she is not and only at the end are all disguises stripped away so that finally all are revealed for what they truly are, and like the beast in “Beauty and the Beast,” the old king, with Cordelia in her beauty dead in his arms, is finally turned into a human being.Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, by Frederick Buechner
Thanks to Ariel for mentioning this book in conversation–I bought it first thing upon arriving home. Superb.
I’m happy you’re enjoying this one. I’m still wondering how to post about it. I want to review it, but I was so impressed when I read it that trying to “break down” why I loved it seems almost disrespectful…what a dilemma.
Happy New Year!
Ok Tim,
As the resident ethicist in the two houses where we were roommates, i am calling you out for thoughts on this one:
http://shrinkingisaac.com/?p=48#comments
No comments/thoughts on the Spy Bishop?
What am I paying you for?
Hi tim, I heard this quote on the TV the other day, they were raving about how 3 million people had watched the premier of 24 and they said this HILARIOUS quote, “All hail the power of Bauer!”. I just had to tell it to you!