So Much Generosity

by Michael D. Greaney

The late Dr. Ralph McInerny, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame du Lac, once commented that some Catholic novels are so good, they're bad. He meant that the heroes are so virtuous that you simply can't believe them. Worse, the novels try so hard to be "Catholic" that they fail to be catholic, that is, universal, or even any sort of realistic commentary on the human condition. Worst of all are probably the novels that try to imitate the authors profiled in this appreciation of the fiction of Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman (1802-1865), John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), and Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914). Part of this is due to the fact that many people misunderstand not only why these writers wrote, but what they wrote. Benson's wonderfully barbed satire, for example, endeared him to Evelyn Waugh, yet it is often characterized as "prophecy"! This collection of biographical sketches and essays by Mr. Michael D. Greaney, Director of Research at the interfaith, all-volunteer think tank, the Center for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ) in Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A., does much to dispel the misimpressions and misunderstandings many people might have of the novels of Wiseman, Newman, and Benson. More than that, this compendium introduces these works to a new generation of readers, and makes it clear that the authors wrote for everyone, not just for Catholics, or even Christians.

268 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2013

Reviews

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I'm not Catholic, I'm fascinated by Catholic fiction because it deals with suffering so much better than modern Christian fiction. I do not know how this book came on my radar and it was certainly no page-turner, but it gave me a great introduction to the author, Robert Hugh Benson.

Benson (1871-1914) was the son of an Anglican archbishop and converted to Catholicism in his 30s. I find it fascinating that he wrote all kinds of novels (biographical, dystopian, horror, romances) and that all of his siblings were also authors.

Greaney gives an overview of all Benson's novels and a few works by two other authors. I hope to dip into these novels in the future.

(The title was a weird choice since it refers to the reaction of Benson's Church of England colleagues when they heard he had become Catholic. He never expected "so much generosity" from them. Doesn't really fit with the theme of the book, which is "an appreciation of Catholic fiction."