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Beauty Will Save the World: Recovering the Human in an Ideological Age
Culture, Not Politics We live in a politicized time. Culture wars and increasingly partisan conflicts have reduced public discourse to shouting matches between ideologues. But rather than merely bemoaning the vulgarity and sloganeering of this era, says acclaimed author and editor Gregory Wolfe, we should seek to enrich the language of civil discourse. And the best way to do that, Wolfe believes, is to draw nourishment from the deepest sources of art and religious faith. Wolfe has been called “one of the most incisive and persuasive voices of our generation,” and this penetrating and wide-ranging book makes a powerful case for the importance of beauty and imagination to cultural renewal. He begins by tracing his own journey from a young culture warrior bent on attacking the modern world to a career devoted to nurturing the creation of culture through contemporary literature and art that renew the Western tradition. Along the way, Wolfe finds in Renaissance Christian humanists like Erasmus and Thomas More—and their belief that imagination and the arts are needed to offset the danger of ideological abstractions— a “distant mirror” in which to see our own times. Beauty Will Save the World offers a revealing introduction to the artists and thinkers who are the Christian humanists of the modern era, from well-known figures like Evelyn Waugh and Wendell Berry to lesser-known authors like Shusaku Endo, Andrew Lytle, and Geoffrey Hill. A section on visual artists Mary McCleary, Fred Folsom, and Makoto Fujimura (accompanied by reproductions of their works) demonstrates that there are artists who can reimagine the Western tradition in strikingly contemporary terms. Finally, Wolfe pays tribute to the conservative thinkers who served as his Russell Kirk, Gerhart Niemeyer, Marion Montgomery, and Malcolm Muggeridge— all of whom rejected rigid ideology and embraced culture and tradition. At a time when our public discourse has come to be dominated by warring factions with little regard for truth, Wolfe’s affirmation of beauty as a redemptive force is both refreshing and encouraging.
296 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2011
45 people are currently reading
739 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Wolfe
55 books150 followersGregory Wolfe is a writer, teacher, editor, and publisher. In 1989 he founded Image—one of America’s leading literary journals, which he edited for thirty years. He was also the founding director of the Seattle Pacific University MFA in Creative Writing program, which he led for over a dozen years. He is currently editor of an indie, non-profit literary press, Slant Books. Wolfe’s writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, and America. He has served as a judge for the National Book Awards. His books include Beauty Will Save the World, Intruding Upon the Timeless, and The Operation of Grace. He is married to the novelist Suzanne M. Wolfe. They are the parents of four grown children and live in Richmond Beach, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 26, 2011
Over the summer, I was sitting in a hotel lobby reading Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child while waiting for the opening ceremonies of a conference on classical education. A young man approached me and commented how much he liked that book. I told him that it might be my favorite book of 2011 once I finished it. He responded that it could be, but wondered if I had read Beauty Will Save the World--his favorite book of 2011. I hadn't.
Now I have. I think it would be fair to distinguish something about these two books before I say which is my favorite.
Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child is witty and fun. It is the type of book that causes one to evaluate how he has/is/will raise his children. It does so in a positive way.
Beauty Will Save the World is a slower read. It is the type of book that will cause one to think about how he approaches politics and ideology, literature and the arts.
On that note, they are each my favorite in their respective categories. BWSTW has led to many the philosophising and pantagruelizing sessions with friends. I have begun reevaluating how I try to put truth into the souls of my children and those with whom I have the opportunity to interact. I suppose there are many examples we can think of where spouting data at a person has not had the impact we desired, while telling them the same truth as a story has. The Bible is primarily narrative, with only a minority of didactic passages. Historically, the abolitionist movement in America took off after Uncle Tom's Cabin was published and not because of the statistical arguments of the abolitionists.
BWSTW initially makes arguments for the importance of beauty (the arts: literature, poetry, paintings, and letters) in teaching and conveying truth to the culture. It then moves into examples of Christian humanists from each of the above categories. As author Gregory Wolfe discusses each artist, he takes an example (or two as the case may be) from each artist and dissects it, showing how it promotes truth through beauty. For that fact alone, the book would make a great tool for the study of any one or all of the artists. Additionally, it is a thought-provoking book towards the argument being promoted. As I said, it led to many thoughtful conversations with friends, conversations I suspect will continue for some time. It has changed the way I think about conveying truth, especially as I teach my eleventh graders.
All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is willing to rethink teaching truth through beauty.
Now I have. I think it would be fair to distinguish something about these two books before I say which is my favorite.
Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child is witty and fun. It is the type of book that causes one to evaluate how he has/is/will raise his children. It does so in a positive way.
Beauty Will Save the World is a slower read. It is the type of book that will cause one to think about how he approaches politics and ideology, literature and the arts.
On that note, they are each my favorite in their respective categories. BWSTW has led to many the philosophising and pantagruelizing sessions with friends. I have begun reevaluating how I try to put truth into the souls of my children and those with whom I have the opportunity to interact. I suppose there are many examples we can think of where spouting data at a person has not had the impact we desired, while telling them the same truth as a story has. The Bible is primarily narrative, with only a minority of didactic passages. Historically, the abolitionist movement in America took off after Uncle Tom's Cabin was published and not because of the statistical arguments of the abolitionists.
BWSTW initially makes arguments for the importance of beauty (the arts: literature, poetry, paintings, and letters) in teaching and conveying truth to the culture. It then moves into examples of Christian humanists from each of the above categories. As author Gregory Wolfe discusses each artist, he takes an example (or two as the case may be) from each artist and dissects it, showing how it promotes truth through beauty. For that fact alone, the book would make a great tool for the study of any one or all of the artists. Additionally, it is a thought-provoking book towards the argument being promoted. As I said, it led to many thoughtful conversations with friends, conversations I suspect will continue for some time. It has changed the way I think about conveying truth, especially as I teach my eleventh graders.
All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is willing to rethink teaching truth through beauty.
December 17, 2015
This is not for everyone. There's a strong assumption that the reader knows enough about Dante, T.S. Eliot, Flannery O'Connor, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, just as a start, that he/she can have a meaningful "conversation" about them with Gregory Wolfe. If not, we're either going to say "wait here" like Helene Hanff reading Quiller-Couch (while we run and catch up on what we missed), or give up in frustration.
There's also an assumption that we will "get" the Roman Catholic mindset that draws many of Wolfe's subjects together and inspires much of his own vision. The book can help us understand it somewhat better, but if we come into it from a place too far away, it's going to be difficult.
The conclusion of the book seems to come at the end of Part Two: "[Writers and artists are] souls that must struggle to observe the world, empathize with its inhabitants, and shape an artifact into a form that communicates meaning to others." The other sections are essays on particular writers, thinkers, and visual artists, illustrating the ideas of the first two parts.
There are lots of writers and ideas mentioned that I'd like to know more about; but since I had the book for only three weeks and couldn't say "wait here," I just put them on my to-read list.
There's also an assumption that we will "get" the Roman Catholic mindset that draws many of Wolfe's subjects together and inspires much of his own vision. The book can help us understand it somewhat better, but if we come into it from a place too far away, it's going to be difficult.
The conclusion of the book seems to come at the end of Part Two: "[Writers and artists are] souls that must struggle to observe the world, empathize with its inhabitants, and shape an artifact into a form that communicates meaning to others." The other sections are essays on particular writers, thinkers, and visual artists, illustrating the ideas of the first two parts.
There are lots of writers and ideas mentioned that I'd like to know more about; but since I had the book for only three weeks and couldn't say "wait here," I just put them on my to-read list.
February 11, 2014
I hoped for much more from this book. Full of redundant essays analyzing the work of various Roman Catholic authors and artists and replete with descriptions of the Puritan boogeyman (that alleged pragmatic nature-hater who brought about American modernity), the book can be reduced to one conclusion: Roman Catholicism will save the world. Apart from a couple chapters in the beginning and the chapter on Russell Kirk, there isn't much here.
I further analyze his misunderstanding of the Puritans here.
I further analyze his misunderstanding of the Puritans here.
March 5, 2019
Have you, as I, often thought, "What an ugly age we're living through"? Ugly things hurt me. Ugly words, ugly people, ugly places ... but Gregory Wolfe knows that the antidote—not only to ugliness, but to malaise, acedia, culture stupor, and shallowness—is beauty. From Dostoevsky, quoted by Solzhenitsyn, and adopted as a banner cry by Wolfe, "Beauty will save the world."
This book is an extended meditation upon the power of beauty to offer spiritual nourishment that can help bend the culture (and, dare we dream, even politics) back toward the other two transcendentals: goodness and truth. I had assumed that this book might be a look backward, drawing that nourishment from the tried and true voices of beauty in the past. Wolfe, however, invited me to enlarge my scope as to what is redemptively beautiful. One example is the art of Fred Folsom.
When I had flipped through the pages of the book before starting, I gasped at the ugliness of Fred Folsom's art, especially Last Call. What in the world was Wolfe thinking? How could these disreputable denizens of the uncanny valley offer up any redemptive power? It seemed, rather, to feed into the degraded spirit of the age. Wolfe guided me through the piece, highlighting the pathos of this grouping of image-bearers and the artist's deep respect for their humanity. At the end of the journey, I began to glimpse what Wolfe calls the "tension between judgment and compassion, between the reality of evil and the mystery of grace" that somehow inhabits this cartoonish portrayal of closing time at a go-go bar.
Fred Folsom may have been the biggest surprise of Beauty Will Save the World but he is not the only treasure between the pages. This is one of those best kinds of books that leads to the reading of other books, and Gregory Wolfe is the best sort of cultural curator to follow out into the deep.
This book is an extended meditation upon the power of beauty to offer spiritual nourishment that can help bend the culture (and, dare we dream, even politics) back toward the other two transcendentals: goodness and truth. I had assumed that this book might be a look backward, drawing that nourishment from the tried and true voices of beauty in the past. Wolfe, however, invited me to enlarge my scope as to what is redemptively beautiful. One example is the art of Fred Folsom.
When I had flipped through the pages of the book before starting, I gasped at the ugliness of Fred Folsom's art, especially Last Call. What in the world was Wolfe thinking? How could these disreputable denizens of the uncanny valley offer up any redemptive power? It seemed, rather, to feed into the degraded spirit of the age. Wolfe guided me through the piece, highlighting the pathos of this grouping of image-bearers and the artist's deep respect for their humanity. At the end of the journey, I began to glimpse what Wolfe calls the "tension between judgment and compassion, between the reality of evil and the mystery of grace" that somehow inhabits this cartoonish portrayal of closing time at a go-go bar.
Fred Folsom may have been the biggest surprise of Beauty Will Save the World but he is not the only treasure between the pages. This is one of those best kinds of books that leads to the reading of other books, and Gregory Wolfe is the best sort of cultural curator to follow out into the deep.
May 5, 2012
"There is a large body of believers who have essentially given up on contemporary culture; they may admire a few writers here or there, but they do not really believe that Western culture can produce anything that might inform and deepen their own faith. One might almost say that these individuals have given in to despair about our time. For me, the most depressing trend of all is the extent to which Christians have belittled or ignored the imagination and succumbed to politicized and ideological thinking."
- pages 18-19
If you have never read Image Journal, it's high time you started. There is a large sense in which modern day Christianity has completely given up on the Arts. Just look at the architecture of modern day churches, and then compare that to old Christian churches built hundreds of years ago. The difference you see there is between a Christianity that believed that beauty was valuable and a modern version of Christianity that simply doesn't care anymore. Image is one of the only collections of current writers that I know who absolutely reject this modern trend. (Don't you wonder if the lost, the poor, and the needy used to be drawn to some churches simply by the veritable beauty of the windows and the architecture of the building itself? A building of which the construction itself was an act of worship?) The purpose of the Image quarterly journal is to focus on modern day artists (authors, poets, filmmakers, etc.) who are passionate about bringing back the old Medieval and Renaissance viewpoint once contained within Christianity that the good and the beautiful originate from God, and therefore, the creative imagination can produce works that point us in the right direction. The book, Beauty Will Save the World: Recovering the Human in an Ideological Age, is written by the man who founded Image. His name is Gregory Wolfe.
If you enjoy thinking, Wolfe has thoughts and developing questions in this book that could keep you thinking and exploring a few fascinating ideas for a lifetime.
As you begin reading, it becomes obvious that the main insights that we are given in the book were only reached and crystallized by Wolfe after years of thought, experience and study. It may seem like a truism to some. But I doubt that many of us (and in my experience, hardly anyone who believes Christianity is true) have realized the full extent and consequences of one of his main ideas. The idea is this. In spite of politics (with the power to change laws that control our lives), in spite of religion (with the power to insulate us within protected and self-contained sub-cultures, even if we attempt to convert others from the outside into our own sub-culture), and in spite of education (with the power to shape the minds of the young), one of the most powerful ways to reach anyone and everyone (no matter what political party, religious creed, or educational background one happens to possess) is through the arts and humanities. In other words, through culture itself ...
http://redemptiosehnsucht.blogspot.co...
- pages 18-19
If you have never read Image Journal, it's high time you started. There is a large sense in which modern day Christianity has completely given up on the Arts. Just look at the architecture of modern day churches, and then compare that to old Christian churches built hundreds of years ago. The difference you see there is between a Christianity that believed that beauty was valuable and a modern version of Christianity that simply doesn't care anymore. Image is one of the only collections of current writers that I know who absolutely reject this modern trend. (Don't you wonder if the lost, the poor, and the needy used to be drawn to some churches simply by the veritable beauty of the windows and the architecture of the building itself? A building of which the construction itself was an act of worship?) The purpose of the Image quarterly journal is to focus on modern day artists (authors, poets, filmmakers, etc.) who are passionate about bringing back the old Medieval and Renaissance viewpoint once contained within Christianity that the good and the beautiful originate from God, and therefore, the creative imagination can produce works that point us in the right direction. The book, Beauty Will Save the World: Recovering the Human in an Ideological Age, is written by the man who founded Image. His name is Gregory Wolfe.
If you enjoy thinking, Wolfe has thoughts and developing questions in this book that could keep you thinking and exploring a few fascinating ideas for a lifetime.
As you begin reading, it becomes obvious that the main insights that we are given in the book were only reached and crystallized by Wolfe after years of thought, experience and study. It may seem like a truism to some. But I doubt that many of us (and in my experience, hardly anyone who believes Christianity is true) have realized the full extent and consequences of one of his main ideas. The idea is this. In spite of politics (with the power to change laws that control our lives), in spite of religion (with the power to insulate us within protected and self-contained sub-cultures, even if we attempt to convert others from the outside into our own sub-culture), and in spite of education (with the power to shape the minds of the young), one of the most powerful ways to reach anyone and everyone (no matter what political party, religious creed, or educational background one happens to possess) is through the arts and humanities. In other words, through culture itself ...
http://redemptiosehnsucht.blogspot.co...
Currently reading
July 24, 2011The author of "Beauty will save the world" gets his quote from Dostoevsky. He says, on page one, "The phrase stuck in my mind, and found corroboration in my studies of the role of the imagination in the social order. Like Solzhenitsyn I have been won over by Dostoevsky's wisdom. Whereas I once believed that the decadence of the West could only be turned around through politics and intellectual dialectics, I am now convinced that authentic renewal can only emerge out of the imaginative visions of the artist and the mystic. This does not mean that I have withdrawn into some anti-intellectual Palace of Art. Rather, it involves the conviction that politics and rhetoric are not autonomous forces, but are shaped by the pre-political roots of culture: myth, metaphor, and spiritual experience as recorded by the artist and the saint."
October 9, 2018
Parts 1 and 2 were a superb diagnosis of the current state of the church, society, and the importance of art. Parts 3-5 were a helpful analysis of some very important writers but it was a bit fragmented.
May 5, 2012
A collection of essays and short biographical sketches loosely organized into a book. Only half of the book is directly devoted to the premise listed in the title, and it's not very good. Too much focus on the author himself and too much repetition. (count the times you see T.S. Eliot mentioned in the first two chapters.) Even then, he seems far more interested in doing brief literary biography and criticism of specific writers than making a lucid or serious manifesto about how beauty will save the world.
The second part he just gives up and profiles artists, writers, and others he likes. It's much better because he's decent at criticism and chooses non-standard artists for the most part. However if you are buying it for the premise, you quite possibly already know about or have read the artists listed. This would make a much better book for a bright young religious "high" artist-the kind who reads literary fiction, can appreciate modern art, and is a bit of a classicist while not being conservative to the point of close mindedness. But I tend to be a "low" writer who can appreciate kitsch and makes no pretensions to literary merit, and even I know who Shusaku Endo, Evelyn Waugh, Wendell Berry, and many of the people he writes of are. There's really only a small amount of high Christian artists in recent history, so many people may not find the book adding much to their knowledge of them.
If anything, you might find yourself a little tired of some of them he does select. I for one think it must be a part of the Catholic Catechism to always mention Walker Percy or Flannery O'Connor in any book having anything to deal with the arts. It's also pretty obvious the author is a trad Catholic from his selections, the bulk of the writers or examples are Catholic. Not a deal killer or anything, but there's a certain sensibility you may have encountered before.
If you look at it as an introduction to something that is alien to you, it's meh.
The New Religious Humanists by him is a better book for that. I don't recommend it otherwise, but it's not offensive enough for me to dislike it.
The second part he just gives up and profiles artists, writers, and others he likes. It's much better because he's decent at criticism and chooses non-standard artists for the most part. However if you are buying it for the premise, you quite possibly already know about or have read the artists listed. This would make a much better book for a bright young religious "high" artist-the kind who reads literary fiction, can appreciate modern art, and is a bit of a classicist while not being conservative to the point of close mindedness. But I tend to be a "low" writer who can appreciate kitsch and makes no pretensions to literary merit, and even I know who Shusaku Endo, Evelyn Waugh, Wendell Berry, and many of the people he writes of are. There's really only a small amount of high Christian artists in recent history, so many people may not find the book adding much to their knowledge of them.
If anything, you might find yourself a little tired of some of them he does select. I for one think it must be a part of the Catholic Catechism to always mention Walker Percy or Flannery O'Connor in any book having anything to deal with the arts. It's also pretty obvious the author is a trad Catholic from his selections, the bulk of the writers or examples are Catholic. Not a deal killer or anything, but there's a certain sensibility you may have encountered before.
If you look at it as an introduction to something that is alien to you, it's meh.
The New Religious Humanists by him is a better book for that. I don't recommend it otherwise, but it's not offensive enough for me to dislike it.
August 17, 2011
I really liked this because of its message that the truth needs to be shown and seen as beautiful, in other words, that a raw, ideological message will not win the day. The clue is if you are preaching in fatigues and heavy boots (+ dark glasses), then you are probably off of the mark!
There are specific chapter on Evelyn Waugh, Russell Kirk, Wendell Berry,as well as a list of lesser known writers and artists. The general thrust is Catholic in the Roman sense, but there is plenty here for robust protestants.
There are specific chapter on Evelyn Waugh, Russell Kirk, Wendell Berry,as well as a list of lesser known writers and artists. The general thrust is Catholic in the Roman sense, but there is plenty here for robust protestants.
September 19, 2016
Gregory Wolfe offers a passionate and thorough picture of how Gospel is impacting art today. A thoughtful rebuke of those who think Western Civilization is in an irreversible downward spiral.
July 7, 2018
Esse com certeza é um dos melhores livros que eu li em 2018.
Em "A beleza salvará o mundo: Redescobrindo o homem numa era ideológica" o autor nos ensina a ler a arte sem o uso de bandeirolas ideológicas, mas pelo o que ela nos revela de humano, em um mundo extremamente politizado como o nosso ler Wolfe é um respiro bem profundo, pois ele além de nos lembrar da importância da prudência, ele nos mostra que apesar de todos os pesares ainda há beleza no mundo e que se formos espertos pararemos um segundinho para contemplar.
Em "A beleza salvará o mundo: Redescobrindo o homem numa era ideológica" o autor nos ensina a ler a arte sem o uso de bandeirolas ideológicas, mas pelo o que ela nos revela de humano, em um mundo extremamente politizado como o nosso ler Wolfe é um respiro bem profundo, pois ele além de nos lembrar da importância da prudência, ele nos mostra que apesar de todos os pesares ainda há beleza no mundo e que se formos espertos pararemos um segundinho para contemplar.
February 8, 2018
Wolfe's title comes from Dostoevsky. He argues that the arts and culture--rather than politics--hold out hope that for a humane revival of society.
The thesis is good, and much needed. Wolfe's approach suffers from being overly focused on his own autobiography (I had never heard of him) and rather constant name-dropping, but is nevertheless a refreshing counter to the political screeds of the age.
Recommended.
The thesis is good, and much needed. Wolfe's approach suffers from being overly focused on his own autobiography (I had never heard of him) and rather constant name-dropping, but is nevertheless a refreshing counter to the political screeds of the age.
Recommended.
November 20, 2017
Really 3.5 stars. Quite a bit of repetitive info from one essay to the next, but when Wolfe is good, he's really good (see the Fred Folsom section or the Shusaku Endo section). I've grown weary of hearing / reading about Wendell Berry, though I was surprised Marilynne Robinson did not come up more. (She's not Catholic, so that's probably why.)
March 24, 2020
Well-Written, Just Couldn’t Get Into
I wanted to enjoy this book and I tried very hard to do so. The writing is brilliant and I’m now dying to reread T.S. Eliot’s works. However, there was so much time spent philosophizing rather than applying that I just couldn’t enjoy the book. I blame my current frame of mind and will try to reread this in a few months.
I wanted to enjoy this book and I tried very hard to do so. The writing is brilliant and I’m now dying to reread T.S. Eliot’s works. However, there was so much time spent philosophizing rather than applying that I just couldn’t enjoy the book. I blame my current frame of mind and will try to reread this in a few months.
October 28, 2020
I enjoyed this book and admired his enthusiasm. After hearing about the allegations of serial sexual and verbal abuse as the head of Image Journal, Im reminded of the profound blindness of cognitive dissonance. He evidently couldn't see the beauty in his staff at Image. I don't care how beautiful your art is. If you can't be kind than your art is mere spiritual bypass and posturing.
June 19, 2021
Definitely intellectually out of my league, but not quite as much as I'd expected.
Wolfe covers a wide range of artistic forms here, but this was especially nourishing for my hope in the potential of the novel to communicate Beauty. Probably the most valuable thing for me here is just what it's added to my reading list. This is definitely not a must-read, but I'm glad a picked it up.
Wolfe covers a wide range of artistic forms here, but this was especially nourishing for my hope in the potential of the novel to communicate Beauty. Probably the most valuable thing for me here is just what it's added to my reading list. This is definitely not a must-read, but I'm glad a picked it up.
May 5, 2018
Amazing book!
June 1, 2019
This book was excellent. A thoughtful, additive form of criticism. Worth reading.
February 5, 2020
Really good. First half of the book is well worth your time.
July 26, 2020
Do aesthetics play an important role in a life well-lived. Worth reflection.
February 18, 2017
Um livro pela metade. o título é extremamente promissor, mas o desenrolar se perde na tentativa do autor colar o cristianismo como referência de uma evolução na concepção dá arte. inicia-se com a beleza e arte, algo que foi muito positivo até a página 120 e depois ao descrever longamente auditores e pintores o conceito central do livro se perde. Ou a intenção n ficou claro ou o título não define bem a proposta do livro. leia até a página 120. O restante existem poucas partes q valem o interesse.
December 13, 2012
This is a very interesting collection of essays from the editor of the magazine Image. He tries to rehabilitate the need for artistic beauty. It is interesting because Wolfe is a conservative who attended Hillsdale College, the center of intellectual conservatism, but became disillusioned with much that past as "conservatism" in the wake of Reagan's election. He thus sets out to argue for a vision of conservatism that has affinities with Christian artists (or is it an artistic vision that has affinities with conservatism? I'm not sure), arguing that focus on real beauty is essential for our postmodern age.
He's convincing in some ways, but his focus is on a very narrow branch of art and even of Christianity. He mentions T.S. Eliot on almost every page, and really only deals with Catholic artists. This isn't necessarily bad - that's his speciality. But I think he doesn't do justice to the multiple visions within Christianity, both of art and theology.
My one complaint form this conservative vision of the intersection of politics, art, and faith, is that Wolfe never mentions eschatology. I find this failing in many otherwise profound religious conservative authors (such as Evelyn Waugh, Flannery O'Conner, and Russell Kirk). In their justifiable argument with utopianism, they fail to grasp the notion of "new creation" in Christianity as well. Wolfe never once mentions that visions of transcendence are not only about the eternal, the contemplation of being, but about the new heavens and new earth, the marriage supper of the lamb, which is the most utopian vision of all time.
Yet, despite that, this is worth reading, and I hope Christians will take a look at the renaissance in art dealing with faith that is already happening.
He's convincing in some ways, but his focus is on a very narrow branch of art and even of Christianity. He mentions T.S. Eliot on almost every page, and really only deals with Catholic artists. This isn't necessarily bad - that's his speciality. But I think he doesn't do justice to the multiple visions within Christianity, both of art and theology.
My one complaint form this conservative vision of the intersection of politics, art, and faith, is that Wolfe never mentions eschatology. I find this failing in many otherwise profound religious conservative authors (such as Evelyn Waugh, Flannery O'Conner, and Russell Kirk). In their justifiable argument with utopianism, they fail to grasp the notion of "new creation" in Christianity as well. Wolfe never once mentions that visions of transcendence are not only about the eternal, the contemplation of being, but about the new heavens and new earth, the marriage supper of the lamb, which is the most utopian vision of all time.
Yet, despite that, this is worth reading, and I hope Christians will take a look at the renaissance in art dealing with faith that is already happening.
September 10, 2016
I took the Goodreads rating system literally here: 3 being "I liked it", but 4 being too generous for my experience. I read this with a group of friends, all much better read than I am (which I quickly learned was vital for any hopes I had at understanding even half of Wolfe's extremely nuanced arguments and specific references). I liked this book a lot, but was constantly aware of my shortcomings as I tried & frequently failed to follow his points. My biggest struggles stemming from his constant assumptions about the reader's prior knowledge and familiarity of each subject and work he discusses; not a problem for someone as accomplished as he is, but for the casual superficial literary fan that I am, I would have been lost for most of it without the help of the rest of the group.
Positives:
- Wolfe puts words to my fuzzy frustrations about modern conservative art, or the lack their of. I was very relieved to finally find concrete and thorough explanations for the why much of the art made by Christians in our time fails to appeal or engage modern culture, even in the eyes of other christians, and see as well the ways in which it could improve.
- This book has given me no short list of reading for this summer, and I'm delighted that I don't have to worry about what is good and what's not; Wolfe lays that all out for me.
- I was struck by how passionate Wolfe is about everything, and for the points I could catch, I was fascinated by what he could pull from everything he discussed. It's pretty inspiring.
- I learned a ton from this. I'll no doubt use this book often in conversation and in reference to the different works Wolfe takes apart.
Positives:
- Wolfe puts words to my fuzzy frustrations about modern conservative art, or the lack their of. I was very relieved to finally find concrete and thorough explanations for the why much of the art made by Christians in our time fails to appeal or engage modern culture, even in the eyes of other christians, and see as well the ways in which it could improve.
- This book has given me no short list of reading for this summer, and I'm delighted that I don't have to worry about what is good and what's not; Wolfe lays that all out for me.
- I was struck by how passionate Wolfe is about everything, and for the points I could catch, I was fascinated by what he could pull from everything he discussed. It's pretty inspiring.
- I learned a ton from this. I'll no doubt use this book often in conversation and in reference to the different works Wolfe takes apart.
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December 3, 2013Beauty will save the world:
Reading this book really helped me personally with this writing 102 course because this book contained elements of autobiography which helped me get a feel and personal connection with the author. It also included voices in contemporary art and literature perspectives. Wolfe started with his journey explaining the adventures and obstacles he had to over come in order to have become the person he is today in this world. He brings back perspectives that now a days we don't really understand for the lack of knowledge we learn about our past history. He spends his time explaining and exploring different times and places in the 1980's that helped him view things very differently. He also talks about how his conversion into the Roman Catholic religion really helped him become a better person. It helped him shape his life and straighten his thoughts. He started to view people in a very different way he ever did before. He learns to understand the person before he starts to judge. These are the reasons why I enjoyed reading the book "Beauty will save the world" in the writing 102 course.
Reading this book really helped me personally with this writing 102 course because this book contained elements of autobiography which helped me get a feel and personal connection with the author. It also included voices in contemporary art and literature perspectives. Wolfe started with his journey explaining the adventures and obstacles he had to over come in order to have become the person he is today in this world. He brings back perspectives that now a days we don't really understand for the lack of knowledge we learn about our past history. He spends his time explaining and exploring different times and places in the 1980's that helped him view things very differently. He also talks about how his conversion into the Roman Catholic religion really helped him become a better person. It helped him shape his life and straighten his thoughts. He started to view people in a very different way he ever did before. He learns to understand the person before he starts to judge. These are the reasons why I enjoyed reading the book "Beauty will save the world" in the writing 102 course.
September 4, 2013
I don't associate Dostoevsky with Beauty but the title of this important book is a quote by the great Russian writer. Mr. Wolfe is on an important campaign to promote beauty, truth, and knowledge of great humanists. It may sound dull but this book is anything but dull. In its pages you will find insights into our culture and you will meet (perhaps for the first time) important authors, poets, and artists.This book is built on the premise that culture is more important than politics and people who believe in God and those permanent things better take notice. Conservatives often criticize the culture but rarely educate themselves about what our culture should look like or try to influence the culture. I got a chuckle on the few occasions that Mr. Wolfe bemoaned the fact that two of his heroes did not share his appreciation for Modern Art. Mr. Wolfe also appreciates classical works of art. Mr. Wolfe is a Christian Humanist who engages in the real world. This book is an important contribution to our culture.
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October 12, 2017The American Conservative review here. Comment review here.
I've heard that this book advances the thesis that Protestants don't write good literature, but Catholics do. But I haven't read the book yet, so I don't know for sure. Wolfe did convert to Catholicism while a graduate student at Oxford University, and the book is blurbed by The Catholic Thing and Catholic World Report. For related issues, see here, here, here, and here.
I've heard that this book advances the thesis that Protestants don't write good literature, but Catholics do. But I haven't read the book yet, so I don't know for sure. Wolfe did convert to Catholicism while a graduate student at Oxford University, and the book is blurbed by The Catholic Thing and Catholic World Report. For related issues, see here, here, here, and here.
April 6, 2013
I liked this book. I especially liked the chapters on authors and political figures. I think my favorites were Wendell Berry and Russell Kirk, because I was fascinated with them to begin with, but didn't know much. I also liked the section on Flannery O'Connor, because it helped me understand why I can't get comfortable in her stories.
Parts of the book were rough going. Sometimes I had trouble following his arguments. Other times I struggled with my own lack of theoretical literary knowledge. I didn't get some of his terms, but chose to let them fly by rather than looking them up. I did not want to get bogged down with the dictionary.
I liked the autobiographical bits. They made the book more personal and were just plain interesting. I like knowing how a person's experiences have colored his ideas.
Parts of the book were rough going. Sometimes I had trouble following his arguments. Other times I struggled with my own lack of theoretical literary knowledge. I didn't get some of his terms, but chose to let them fly by rather than looking them up. I did not want to get bogged down with the dictionary.
I liked the autobiographical bits. They made the book more personal and were just plain interesting. I like knowing how a person's experiences have colored his ideas.
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June 18, 2013'Wolfe’s humanism is sacramental, based on his sense that culture and art can become analogues for the Incarnation. He notes the late Welsh poet David Jones’s observation—in the latter’s “Art and Sacrament”—that the Eucharist, the preeminent Christian sacrament, consists of bread and wine, not wheat and grapes. “In other words, the gifts offered to God at the altar are not the untouched products of the earth but artifacts, transformed through human hands through an art.”
The work of social change thus goes beyond merely offering a cultural critique. Culture-making, especially making new culture, is part of our earthly mission of redeeming the time.'
Read the full review, "Culture Without War," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...
The work of social change thus goes beyond merely offering a cultural critique. Culture-making, especially making new culture, is part of our earthly mission of redeeming the time.'
Read the full review, "Culture Without War," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...
October 29, 2013
Gregory Wolfe is, first and foremost, a Christian humanist and convert to Catholicism; in many ways, a persistent and persuasive "gadfly" (his words, not mine), a thought-provoking and perspicacious literary critic and voice, and a very wise man of letters. His seminal book Beauty Will Save the World: Recovering the Human in an Ideological Age seeks to save the lost coin/key/sheep of culture and restore the triune relationship between beauty, goodness, and truthiness by bridging the great divide/gap/rift between classical and contemporary art and faith. Write on, Greg! Your tireless efforts are not for naught. Not a meaningless chasing after the wind but a deep breath of fresh air!
August 20, 2013
Title a bit deceiving -- thought there be more about Dostoyevsky (from which the title is taken), but more or less this starts out as an autobiographical journey then interceded with short examinations of novelists (mostly of the Catholic conservative variety like Flannery O'Connor), artists, and "men of letters" (including most notably, conservative political theorist Russell Kirk). Interesting at points, and has spurned me to investigate these artists and writers further (most of which I not too familiar with).
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