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The Well and the Shallows
One of G. K. Chesterton’s finest collection of essays, The Well and the Shallows , explore more controversial themes than typically seen in the work of the English writer. Written with Chesterton’s biting wit, he touches on various cultural, social and moral issues from birth control to Catholicism.
Chesterton’s perceptive analysis of core issues within modern society remains startling relatable nearly 100 years since its publication. Written shortly after his conversion to Catholicism, he writes with tremendous foresight focusing on subjects like Catholicism, Reformation and Protestantism, and other profound writings on political and social issues based around the central theme of religion.
Essays in this volume
My Six Conversions
The Return to Religion
The Higher Nihilism
The Ascetic At Large
Babies and Distribution
A Century of Emancipation
Trade Terms
Shocking the Modernists
Sex and Property
Why Protestants Prohibit
Where is the Paradox?
The Well and the Shallows is an insightful collection of essays on some of the most important ideas of the modernist era written by one of the greatest English writers of the 20th century. It is a perfect read for those interested in the work of G. K. Chesterton or any with a broader interest in historical, social analysis from a religious perspective.
Chesterton’s perceptive analysis of core issues within modern society remains startling relatable nearly 100 years since its publication. Written shortly after his conversion to Catholicism, he writes with tremendous foresight focusing on subjects like Catholicism, Reformation and Protestantism, and other profound writings on political and social issues based around the central theme of religion.
Essays in this volume
My Six Conversions
The Return to Religion
The Higher Nihilism
The Ascetic At Large
Babies and Distribution
A Century of Emancipation
Trade Terms
Shocking the Modernists
Sex and Property
Why Protestants Prohibit
Where is the Paradox?
The Well and the Shallows is an insightful collection of essays on some of the most important ideas of the modernist era written by one of the greatest English writers of the 20th century. It is a perfect read for those interested in the work of G. K. Chesterton or any with a broader interest in historical, social analysis from a religious perspective.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1935
27 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
G.K. Chesterton
4,658 books5,763 followersGilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic.
He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.
Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.
He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.
Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 23, 2019
ENGLISH: This collection contains 40 journalistic articles, published during 1935. Many of these articles today sound like past history, for they contain criticisms of political theories, such as Italian Fascism and Nazism, that have disappeared.
It is curious that Chesterton's articles published between 1900 and 1910 seem much more up to date with respect to the current situation than those of three decades later, but it is also logical, because of the exceptional situation existing at that time, almost at the doorstep of WWII.
Some of the articles mention the Spanish situation of that time. Unfortunately, it resembles more and more what we are living today.
Here's a couple of interesting quotations from this book:
Our thanks are due to those who have so generously helped us by giving a glimpse of what might be meant by a Pagan civilisation. And what is lost in that society is not so much religion as reason; the ordinary common daylight of intellectual instinct that has guided the children of men. (The return to religion).
Price is a crazy and incalculable thing, while Value is an intrinsic and indestructible thing. (Reflections on a Rotten Apple).
If individuals have any hope of protecting their freedom, they must protect their family life. (St. Thomas More).
ESPAÑOL: Esta colección contiene 40 artículos periodísticos, publicados durante 1935. Muchos de estos artículos hoy suenan a historia pasada, pues contienen críticas a teorías políticas, como el fascismo italiano y el nazismo, que han desaparecido.
Es curioso que los artículos de Chesterton publicados entre 1900 y 1910 parezcan mucho más al día respecto a la situación actual que los de tres décadas después, pero también es lógico, por la situación excepcional que se vivía en aquel momento, casi en puertas de la segunda guerra mundial.
Algunos de los artículos mencionan la situación española de aquel tiempo. Lamentablemente, esta sí que se parece (cada vez más) a lo que estamos viviendo en la actualidad.
Un par de citas interesantes de este libro:
Debemos agradecimiento a quienes nos han ayudado generosamente a saber cómo podría ser una civilización pagana. Lo que se pierde en esa sociedad no es tanto la religión, como la razón; la luz del día común y corriente del instinto intelectual que ha guiado a los hijos de los hombres.
El Precio es algo loco e incalculable, mientras que el Valor es algo intrínseco e indestructible.
Si los individuos tienen alguna esperanza de proteger su libertad, deben proteger su vida familiar.
It is curious that Chesterton's articles published between 1900 and 1910 seem much more up to date with respect to the current situation than those of three decades later, but it is also logical, because of the exceptional situation existing at that time, almost at the doorstep of WWII.
Some of the articles mention the Spanish situation of that time. Unfortunately, it resembles more and more what we are living today.
Here's a couple of interesting quotations from this book:
Our thanks are due to those who have so generously helped us by giving a glimpse of what might be meant by a Pagan civilisation. And what is lost in that society is not so much religion as reason; the ordinary common daylight of intellectual instinct that has guided the children of men. (The return to religion).
Price is a crazy and incalculable thing, while Value is an intrinsic and indestructible thing. (Reflections on a Rotten Apple).
If individuals have any hope of protecting their freedom, they must protect their family life. (St. Thomas More).
ESPAÑOL: Esta colección contiene 40 artículos periodísticos, publicados durante 1935. Muchos de estos artículos hoy suenan a historia pasada, pues contienen críticas a teorías políticas, como el fascismo italiano y el nazismo, que han desaparecido.
Es curioso que los artículos de Chesterton publicados entre 1900 y 1910 parezcan mucho más al día respecto a la situación actual que los de tres décadas después, pero también es lógico, por la situación excepcional que se vivía en aquel momento, casi en puertas de la segunda guerra mundial.
Algunos de los artículos mencionan la situación española de aquel tiempo. Lamentablemente, esta sí que se parece (cada vez más) a lo que estamos viviendo en la actualidad.
Un par de citas interesantes de este libro:
Debemos agradecimiento a quienes nos han ayudado generosamente a saber cómo podría ser una civilización pagana. Lo que se pierde en esa sociedad no es tanto la religión, como la razón; la luz del día común y corriente del instinto intelectual que ha guiado a los hijos de los hombres.
El Precio es algo loco e incalculable, mientras que el Valor es algo intrínseco e indestructible.
Si los individuos tienen alguna esperanza de proteger su libertad, deben proteger su vida familiar.
February 4, 2018
I read the first edition, not listed on GR.
I hope it isn’t true, as described on GR, that this is his best collection of articles. It is my first of his. Curiously, although the GR blurb for it calls it a book of essays, one of the pieces in it specifically discusses the notion that he is writing something entirely different from that genre. Indeed, he seems to rather scorn the ‘essay’.
In the main it’s ponderous discussions of Catholicism. Almost however it starts, whether it’s Evolution, Fascism, Birth Control, Liberal politics, it fast becomes what’s good about Catholicism and bad about the other ones. Especially Protestantism, which being Germanic, is linked to the appalling state of affairs in Europe. The one unhesitating thumbs up for the book is that he gets stuck into Hitler, Nazis and Fascism.
rest here: https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpre...
I hope it isn’t true, as described on GR, that this is his best collection of articles. It is my first of his. Curiously, although the GR blurb for it calls it a book of essays, one of the pieces in it specifically discusses the notion that he is writing something entirely different from that genre. Indeed, he seems to rather scorn the ‘essay’.
In the main it’s ponderous discussions of Catholicism. Almost however it starts, whether it’s Evolution, Fascism, Birth Control, Liberal politics, it fast becomes what’s good about Catholicism and bad about the other ones. Especially Protestantism, which being Germanic, is linked to the appalling state of affairs in Europe. The one unhesitating thumbs up for the book is that he gets stuck into Hitler, Nazis and Fascism.
rest here: https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpre...
June 28, 2024
Every single essay deals with catholicism. His alternative title was Joking apart. The style of writing is incredible. Very witty, but just a tiny little bit too clever. It is so easy to be on his side, if you happen to be of the right faith. Too easy. How about this: “Mr. Shaw is a true modernist in the fact that he cannot complete his own argument, for fear it should end by proving something.”
“There is a fleet street story about me, which may be a fact though I have entirely forgotten it, that when I was asked if I was a Liberal, I answered, “I am the only Liberal.”
“There is a fleet street story about me, which may be a fact though I have entirely forgotten it, that when I was asked if I was a Liberal, I answered, “I am the only Liberal.”
July 28, 2013
At first glance this book is rather jarring. There is a vague theme and many of the references require knowledge of early 1900 British culture and politics, something I am blessedly ignorant of.
And the slams against Protestantism make for difficult reading for Protestants (a word on that later). I suppose his theme, since this is a collection of essays, is the Church is the well (deep truth) and everything else is the shallows (9). This book addresses a number of issues that would shape the 20th century (and indeed, write most of it in blood): Economics, relativizing of religious truth-claims, and Party politics.
Against the communist and socialist, Chesterton urges non-Utopian schemes and points out that man cannot be reduced to mere economics (interestingly, a criticism that can be made of libertarian capitalism). Against the capitalist Chesterton points out that if Communism reduces man to pure laborer, Capitalism reduces God's creation to a market. Against both Chesterton advocates his famous Distributism.
Chesterton points out how often he changed political views: or rather, he remained the same and political views changed. Reminds one of how useless "Party politics" really is. There is no "left-right" divide (56). That is an illusion to keep the haves above the have-nots.
Chesterton's thoughts on the Jews bear notice. People have accused him of being anti-semitic. What that word means is "something today's political Jews in the ADL do not like." Chesterton and Belloc simply pointed out the obvious. However, Chesterton did admit that Hitler's actions against the Jews were wrong (96).
Chesterton is right to point out an Anglo banking conspiracy that had as its goal the destruction of traditional society (which we see today). I don't think he realized how much Britain is really implicated in this.
Chesterton's main point in this book is religion. Truth be told, if this is his only argument for Catholicism, it is a poor one. It refutes today's Anglicanism and Lutheranism, but it does not prove Catholicism. However, Chesterton's larger points are good. While his myopia towards Rome is annoying (what about other, ancient traditions?), one should stop and ask, "Why is it for all the evident corruption in the church, the Roman church has not gone down the road of the mainline Protestants?" Another thought to consider, and this one is scary, why is it that even the most conservative and biblical and fervent Protestant denominations end up in the gutter (see the current debates in TEC and the Lutheran church)?
Chesterton also has good thoughts on how the Institutional church cannot be a conspiracy.
--
Jacob Aitken
And the slams against Protestantism make for difficult reading for Protestants (a word on that later). I suppose his theme, since this is a collection of essays, is the Church is the well (deep truth) and everything else is the shallows (9). This book addresses a number of issues that would shape the 20th century (and indeed, write most of it in blood): Economics, relativizing of religious truth-claims, and Party politics.
Against the communist and socialist, Chesterton urges non-Utopian schemes and points out that man cannot be reduced to mere economics (interestingly, a criticism that can be made of libertarian capitalism). Against the capitalist Chesterton points out that if Communism reduces man to pure laborer, Capitalism reduces God's creation to a market. Against both Chesterton advocates his famous Distributism.
Chesterton points out how often he changed political views: or rather, he remained the same and political views changed. Reminds one of how useless "Party politics" really is. There is no "left-right" divide (56). That is an illusion to keep the haves above the have-nots.
Chesterton's thoughts on the Jews bear notice. People have accused him of being anti-semitic. What that word means is "something today's political Jews in the ADL do not like." Chesterton and Belloc simply pointed out the obvious. However, Chesterton did admit that Hitler's actions against the Jews were wrong (96).
Chesterton is right to point out an Anglo banking conspiracy that had as its goal the destruction of traditional society (which we see today). I don't think he realized how much Britain is really implicated in this.
Chesterton's main point in this book is religion. Truth be told, if this is his only argument for Catholicism, it is a poor one. It refutes today's Anglicanism and Lutheranism, but it does not prove Catholicism. However, Chesterton's larger points are good. While his myopia towards Rome is annoying (what about other, ancient traditions?), one should stop and ask, "Why is it for all the evident corruption in the church, the Roman church has not gone down the road of the mainline Protestants?" Another thought to consider, and this one is scary, why is it that even the most conservative and biblical and fervent Protestant denominations end up in the gutter (see the current debates in TEC and the Lutheran church)?
Chesterton also has good thoughts on how the Institutional church cannot be a conspiracy.
--
Jacob Aitken
February 26, 2011
One of the ways in which G. K. Chesterton really impresses me throughout this little book of essays is in his deep understanding of the right relationship between Christians, and social and economic concerns. Too often we tend to catch on to something, such as democratic-republican government, and make it part of our religion. We sometimes act similarly about capitalism, forcing ourselves to defend its faults as though it was straight out of the Bible instead of straight out of the Enlightenment. Or we may go in another wrong direction, and say Christians should have no concern in "worldly" affairs. One system is as bad as another and all of them are fundamentally none of our business.
The truth is that neither of these standpoints correctly represents Christianity, which is in its nature, both extremely other-worldly, and extremely concerned with this world also. Chesterton put it quite well in the essay "When the World Turned Back": "We must not hate humanity, or despise humanity, or refuse to help humanity; but we must not trust humanity; in the sense of trusting a trend in human nature which cannot turn back to bad things." We should, by all means, be actively involved in all the concerns entailed by the command to love our neighbors as ourselves, whether politically or socially or what-have-you, but we should never come to a place where we forget that any man-based system is capable of going wrong.
In this little book, Chesterton wrote words that should be the motto on the door of every Christian activist: "Try a Monarchy if you think it will be better; but do not trust a Monarchy, in the sense of expecting that a monarch will be anything but a man. Be a Democrat if you like (and I shall always think it the most generous and the most fundamentally Christian ideal in politics); express your sense of human dignity in manhood suffrage or any other form of equality; but put not your trust in manhood suffrage or in any child of man. There is one little defect about Man, the image of God, the wonder of the world and the paragon of animals; that he is not to be trusted. If you identify him with some ideal, which you choose to think is his inmost nature or his only goal, the day will come when he will suddenly seem to you a traitor."
As Chesterton suggests in the title of the book, it is the world that is shallow, and Christianity that has the well of truth. We may acknowledge that the puddles of the world may hold some good water, and we may pour into them of the "living water," but we should never mistake the puddles for the well.
January 14, 2021
He sacado tiempo para leer esta recopilación de artículos de Chesterton, que constituye el último libro que publicó en vida. Hacía tiempo que no leía a GKC y, aunque en esta obra se mantienen las mismas ideas que el autor defendió desde sus inicios, es verdad que las características del libro hacen que probablemente no sea el más fácil para reencontrarse con él.
Por una parte, se trata de artículos periodísticos muy apegados a los debates y noticias de la actualidad inglesa de 1930. La edición (argentina), que es excelente, hace todo lo que puede por contextualizar las referencias a personas y sucesos de esa época por medio de abundantes notas, pero aún así el lector ocasional sigue quedando un poco perdido.
Por otro lado, la idea principal de todos los artículos es la de contraponer el protestantismo y sus derivaciones culturales (incluyendo el anglicanismo) con el catolicismo y la cultura católica. Este es un tema habitual en el autor, pero aquí insiste constantemente en esta contraposición, que creo que sonaba más relevante en la Inglaterra de entonces que en la España de ahora. La visión chestertoniana de más alto nivel queda un poco ofuscada en esta obra.
También se observa una paradoja. Al igual que GKC acuñó en El Napoleón de Notting Hill la expresión "chotéate del profeta", para explicar cómo las sociedades casi nunca van por el camino previsto por sus analistas, aquí me parece que ocurre algo similar; las numerosas predicciones de Chesterton sobre el agotamiento de determinadas tendencias culturales, que él ya veía en ciernes, no parecen haberse cumplido, sino más bien haber seguido avanzando, para lo bueno y para lo malo. Las capacidades analíticas de Chesterton fueron sublimes, pero la sociedad parece haber jugado con él al mismo juego que él explicó.
Pese a todo esto, el libro tiene, como era de esperar, fragmentos muy interesantes, como sus análisis descarnados contra los grandes males de su época (el nazismo, el comunismo y el capitalismo) o su alegato poderoso contra esa forma de "control de la natalidad" que en realidad es más bien "prohibición de la natalidad". Pero, desde luego, no sería el libro que recomendaría para quien quisiera comenzar a conocer a este autor.
Por una parte, se trata de artículos periodísticos muy apegados a los debates y noticias de la actualidad inglesa de 1930. La edición (argentina), que es excelente, hace todo lo que puede por contextualizar las referencias a personas y sucesos de esa época por medio de abundantes notas, pero aún así el lector ocasional sigue quedando un poco perdido.
Por otro lado, la idea principal de todos los artículos es la de contraponer el protestantismo y sus derivaciones culturales (incluyendo el anglicanismo) con el catolicismo y la cultura católica. Este es un tema habitual en el autor, pero aquí insiste constantemente en esta contraposición, que creo que sonaba más relevante en la Inglaterra de entonces que en la España de ahora. La visión chestertoniana de más alto nivel queda un poco ofuscada en esta obra.
También se observa una paradoja. Al igual que GKC acuñó en El Napoleón de Notting Hill la expresión "chotéate del profeta", para explicar cómo las sociedades casi nunca van por el camino previsto por sus analistas, aquí me parece que ocurre algo similar; las numerosas predicciones de Chesterton sobre el agotamiento de determinadas tendencias culturales, que él ya veía en ciernes, no parecen haberse cumplido, sino más bien haber seguido avanzando, para lo bueno y para lo malo. Las capacidades analíticas de Chesterton fueron sublimes, pero la sociedad parece haber jugado con él al mismo juego que él explicó.
Pese a todo esto, el libro tiene, como era de esperar, fragmentos muy interesantes, como sus análisis descarnados contra los grandes males de su época (el nazismo, el comunismo y el capitalismo) o su alegato poderoso contra esa forma de "control de la natalidad" que en realidad es más bien "prohibición de la natalidad". Pero, desde luego, no sería el libro que recomendaría para quien quisiera comenzar a conocer a este autor.
September 1, 2020
As a first-time read,I didn’t quite understand everything he was talking about. But many of these essays are extremely pertinent to today’s issues. I’ll definitely be revisiting this one.
September 3, 2019
This collection made me appreciate Chesterton quite a bit more, perhaps because he isn't playing historian or theologian here, or because an unsentimental newspaper editor helps to make his work clearer and less self-indulgent. Regardless, a collection with some very good essays, and a few with relevance even today.
May 9, 2011
The least impressive work of Chesterton I have read. Chesterton's unique pithiness and irony is present, but it shines less brightly in the service of a weak apology for the Catholic Church. Chesterton briefly introduces us to a few intriguing political and literary figures of his time, offering some amusing and instructive examples of modern folly along the way. At the same time, Chesterton's engagements with his contemporaries are sometimes of too little historical significance to give the reader more than mild diversion. While Chesterton's brand of satire is amusing and engaging, it has a hallow core on the pages of this book. Chesterton's treatment of Protestantism is largely dismissive and based heavily on fallacious reasoning. He deploys arrant distortion, attacks upon straw men, ad hominem and post hoc fallacies as his main tools in a strikingly superficial critique of Protestantism. A reader hopeful for a more substantive engagement is conclusively disappointed in Chesterton's closing essay. In it, Chesterton tenuously links Protestantism to Hitler. Although the book was written before WWII, Chesterton clearly saw the evils of Hitler's agenda and tactics. The "guilt by association" argument is therefore inexcusable. This is most certainly not the best G.K. has to offer.
June 2, 2020
Well worth the time to read.
Amazing to hear the echoes of the past and a conversation from that time that is more objective to the context of today than today’s conversations. Very helpful to analyze the broken pieces of society that should be discussed.
Amazing to hear the echoes of the past and a conversation from that time that is more objective to the context of today than today’s conversations. Very helpful to analyze the broken pieces of society that should be discussed.
January 30, 2018
Not his BEST collection of essays, but still a few gems in here...Wish I could do 3.5/5
September 27, 2019
Brillante come sempre.
January 24, 2015
There are two things you need to know about this book: first, Chesterton was a devout Roman Catholic so most Protestant Christians (myself included) will not agree with some of his views on religion. He also wrote this collection of essays in 1935, and references various things from that period which are less relevant today.
That being said, Chesterton does discuss many things that are still relevant today such as Birth control and nationalism, and even if you don't totally agree with all his views, you can at least respect his opinions as well-thought and agree to disagree.
That being said, Chesterton does discuss many things that are still relevant today such as Birth control and nationalism, and even if you don't totally agree with all his views, you can at least respect his opinions as well-thought and agree to disagree.
May 19, 2015
I hate the fact that I'm giving this three stars -- the first of Chesterton's works I've encountered that I couldn't finish. A few gems here, but a lot of babbling (sorry, Chesty!) about Catholicism and obscure figures of the 1930's. If you're going to read any Chesterton, save this one for when you're absolutely desperate for new material. Even the best have their duds.
January 16, 2009
A really good and delightful book, but it only gets three stars because his rabid and ferocious Catholicism gets in the way all over the place.
August 7, 2013
Great group of essays.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews