tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post4488648378983035258..comments2024-03-12T03:53:57.725-04:00Comments on Faith and Theology: John Updike, 1932-2009: a glance at his theologyBen Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800127501735910966noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-86774901787696099472009-02-05T21:11:00.000-05:002009-02-05T21:11:00.000-05:00In amongst the well-deserved eulogy, I'm a bit...In amongst the well-deserved eulogy, I'm a bit surprised no one has noticed, what a friend pointed out to me, namely the grammatical slip at the end of 7 Stanzas.<BR/><BR/>"lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are<BR/>embarrassed by the miracle,"<BR/><BR/>Perhaps while he was writing it, the parenthetic clause made him miss the problem (that's happened to me). But I'm surprised it wasn't corrected. I've seen this text elsewhere, so I guess it's the established reading. But the more I read it, the more the slip bothers me.<BR/><BR/>Concerning this & a couple of other points about poems & their mechanics, I'm sad I can't ask him.<BR/><BR/>Best wishes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-11117425617812423512009-02-01T16:25:00.000-05:002009-02-01T16:25:00.000-05:00Holly,I also heard Garrison Keillor quoting that l...Holly,<BR/>I also heard Garrison Keillor quoting that lovely piece and have been looking for it all day! I found in as part of an essay by Charles E Cole in the Quarterly Review. I've posted it on my blog if you are interested.<BR/>http://misswhistle.blogspot.com/2009/02/going-to-church.html<BR/>-- Miss WhistleMiss Whistlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11103831095827005334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-65443726075385440482009-02-01T14:46:00.000-05:002009-02-01T14:46:00.000-05:00Holly, Garrison Keillor quoted the same on this we...Holly, <BR/>Garrison Keillor quoted the same on this week's Prairie Home Companion and more than one person has posted a request on the website for it to appear in print there. Tune in to the Prairie Home Companion website to see if they oblige.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-26588177487770911342009-01-31T19:39:00.000-05:002009-01-31T19:39:00.000-05:00do you know where i can find the quote from Updike...do you know where i can find the quote from Updike about church in America?? it starts off with him describing a sacred place of vast proportions that is clean and heated for use only 1 or 2 hours a week...? thanks!!Hollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769587388778687634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-66400356353211910152009-01-30T15:31:00.000-05:002009-01-30T15:31:00.000-05:00I haven't fallen in love with all of Updike's work...I haven't fallen in love with all of Updike's work, though i do enjoy his candid writing style; his passing is a sad loss indeedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-61856174810104086872009-01-30T04:17:00.000-05:002009-01-30T04:17:00.000-05:00Hi bruce (hamill),No, I'm not dead yet (though som...Hi bruce (hamill),<BR/><BR/>No, I'm not dead yet (though some might say, "How can you tell?"). I am only glad that reading my book didn't kill <I>you</I>!<BR/><BR/>My wife doesn't allow me to read theology on holiday. The prohibition dates from our honeymoon on Santorini, when she caught me on the beach reading Jim Garrison's <I>The Darkness of God: Theology after Hiroshima</I>. She thought it might be an allusion to our wedding - and our future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-11851536357032707792009-01-29T08:08:00.000-05:002009-01-29T08:08:00.000-05:00Thanks for this Ben.Concerning your comments on hi...Thanks for this Ben.<BR/><BR/>Concerning your comments on his intermingling of sex and theology: well, he also <A HREF="http://taking-things-seriously.blogspot.com/2009/01/updike-on-neutrinos.html" REL="nofollow">managed to link sex with neutrinos</A>, very amusingly (and instructively) I might add, but without any plausibly <EM>natural</EM> connection. It's a lovely conceit, but it's not <EM>deep</EM>. So I'm not sure how much weight I'd put on the (more justifiable) connection with theological matters.Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-44448564105791730662009-01-29T05:56:00.000-05:002009-01-29T05:56:00.000-05:00I took two books to read on holiday and one of the...I took two books to read on holiday and one of them was Updike's 'A month of sundays'. It has been sitting on my shelf for over 10 years on the 'must read' list in my mind. Now I have read it and on return from holiday discover he is dead. I hope there is no relation between these two facts. After all the other book I read on my holiday was by Kim Fabricius.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-51633357096878125662009-01-28T22:31:00.000-05:002009-01-28T22:31:00.000-05:00What a nice piece to read. Thanks for that. Since ...What a nice piece to read. Thanks for that. <BR/><BR/>Since hearing about his death, I keep thinking of his poem "Perfection Wasted," -- a favorite of mine. I read it as a celebration of life (talk about some lovely images), but the "wasted" part in the title has always bothered me a bit. Any thoughts on that, anyone?<BR/> <BR/>Perfection Wasted<BR/><BR/>And another regrettable thing about death<BR/>is the ceasing of your own brand of magic,<BR/>which took a whole life to develop and market--<BR/>the quips, the witticisms, the slant<BR/>adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest<BR/>the lip of the stage, their laughter close to tears,<BR/>their tears confused with their diamond earrings,<BR/>their warm pooled breath in and out with your heartbeat,<BR/>their response and your performance twinned.<BR/>The jokes over the phone. The memories packed<BR/>in the rapid-access file. The whole act.<BR/>Who will do it again? That's it: no one;<BR/>imitators and descendants aren't the same.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10379201058020915942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-84477714212282531352009-01-28T16:22:00.000-05:002009-01-28T16:22:00.000-05:00my favorite is "a month of sundays." it was a comf...my favorite is "a month of sundays." it was a comfort for these old bones to know that he was still there, working. the news hour did an 11 minute tribute to him last night, ending with one of his poems. very powerful stuff.markpowellwiredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05296887917509976601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-54750488758364730462009-01-28T16:12:00.000-05:002009-01-28T16:12:00.000-05:00Yes, terrifying and depressing. That's why i stopp...Yes, terrifying and depressing. That's why i stopped reading Updike as an agnostic American Lit undergraduate.<BR/><BR/>Then I converted to Christianity and kept away the terrifying and depressing voices for many years--only to find out in mid-life, I need to face them again--full on!<BR/><BR/>A grim thanks to Ben and his posse for insisting that we must not close pandora's box too soon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-80054300973288015912009-01-28T13:46:00.000-05:002009-01-28T13:46:00.000-05:00Dan, terrifying and depressing. I'm with you on th...Dan, terrifying and depressing. I'm with you on that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-37167180679928066422009-01-28T13:34:00.000-05:002009-01-28T13:34:00.000-05:00Very, very nice, Ben. Thank you for that.Very, very nice, Ben. Thank you for that.Kevin P. Edgecombhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16590490181739464401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-74605322860659174522009-01-28T13:17:00.000-05:002009-01-28T13:17:00.000-05:00Interesting to hear what others make of Updike -- ...Interesting to hear what others make of Updike -- I just finished the 'rabbit' series this month, and found the books to be both terrifying and depressing... although very well written.<BR/><BR/>I'm curious, Ben, have you read any Bukowski? It would be interesting to hear you compare Bukowski and Updike as I find that the content of their novels seems rather comparable (especially when it comes to sex).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-68215721063565241602009-01-28T11:17:00.000-05:002009-01-28T11:17:00.000-05:00After reading this, I went straight to the second ...After reading this, I went straight to the second hand bookshop on my street and just came back with "In The Beauty of the Lilies" and "Seek My Face". I'd thank you now, but I need to read the books first :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-13426947005612381072009-01-28T08:56:00.000-05:002009-01-28T08:56:00.000-05:00Hello,You have a nice written style. Love it! Than...Hello,<BR/><BR/>You have a nice written style. Love it! Thanks..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-52500988871174998982009-01-28T08:49:00.000-05:002009-01-28T08:49:00.000-05:00Well said. when told my wife that Updike had died ...Well said. when told my wife that Updike had died the first thing she did was pull down and read "Seven Stanzas at Easter"<BR/><BR/>He will be greatly missed<BR/><BR/>God Bless<BR/><BR/>Steve in TorontoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-87549133997894185622009-01-28T07:38:00.000-05:002009-01-28T07:38:00.000-05:00Ben,The scene between Rabbit and the preacher on t...Ben,<BR/><BR/>The scene between Rabbit and the preacher on the golf course is one of my favorite pieces of writing ever, but I never could find in myself any sympathy for Rabbit's choices in that novel. So, I did not read others.<BR/><BR/>Now - thanks to your praise of him - I'm going to go back and read that novel again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-62121201563852294332009-01-28T06:44:00.000-05:002009-01-28T06:44:00.000-05:00Wow. I have never read any Updike but thanks to th...Wow. I have never read any Updike but thanks to this post I am going to have to soon. Thanks Ben.Bryce P Wandreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06790969884859851988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-28794413081402499782009-01-28T04:02:00.000-05:002009-01-28T04:02:00.000-05:00Brilliant, just brilliant. I haven't read any oth...Brilliant, just brilliant. I haven't read any other obituaries yet, but I can't imagine one that so goes to the heart of the matter - unless written by Marilynne Robinson (being an American gives her an edge, as Updike is so firmly set in the tradition of American letters).<BR/><BR/><I>Roger's Version</I> is an astonishing novel, astute, canny, and so quotable. I read it not long after my ministerial "training" (sic) and loved the acerbic description of divinity school:<BR/><BR/>"believing souls are trucked in like muddy, fragrant cabbages from the rural hinterland and in three years of fine distinctions and exegetical quibbling we have chopped them into cole slaw salable at any suburban supermarket. We take in saints and send out ministers, workers in the vineyard of inevitable anxiety and discontent. The death of Christianity has been long foreseen but there will always be churches to serve as storehouses for the perennial harvest of human unhappiness."<BR/><BR/>And, near the end, this terrific aphorism:<BR/><BR/>"There's faith and there's faith, and what we think we believe is really a very minor part of what we do believe."<BR/><BR/>Now the torch passes to Robinson.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again, Ben.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-91478292240691266622009-01-28T02:27:00.000-05:002009-01-28T02:27:00.000-05:00As an lit. undergrad until now, I had no knowledge...As an lit. undergrad until now, I had no knowledge whatsoever that Updike read Barth. (Or who Barth was, for that matter). But run, rabbit run always haunted me.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13301222412563398458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-43462979845124493182009-01-28T01:14:00.000-05:002009-01-28T01:14:00.000-05:00Thank you for this. I love that scene from Rabbit...Thank you for this. I love that scene from Rabbit, Run - I've quoted it often.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04851261237969264984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-83783285636429320022009-01-27T23:23:00.000-05:002009-01-27T23:23:00.000-05:00Ben, Thanks for this. Beautifully done. I haven't ...Ben, <BR/><BR/>Thanks for this. Beautifully done. I haven't read as much Updike as I should've done, but his "Seven Stanzas" is a constant companion of mine. And I think you may be right to discern a connection between his keen understanding of sexuality and his acceptance of the scandalous bodyliness of the resurrection.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-58939260715431874252009-01-27T22:43:00.000-05:002009-01-27T22:43:00.000-05:00Of the many tributes to Updike I have read today, ...Of the many tributes to Updike I have read today, this is my favorite--even better than the wonderful one from the Associated Press. I am extremely skeptical of any reading of Updike that does not draw heavily on theology; one cannot understand him without having at least a basic grasp on Karl Barth.<BR/><BR/>There's a wonderful collection of academic essays edited by James Yerkes. It's called "John Updike and Religion: The Sense of the Sacred and the Motions of Grace." If you've not read it, give it a shot. I think you'll find a group of kindred spirits re: Updike and theology.Michial Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10062071425935524922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-56891542064864298712009-01-27T19:59:00.000-05:002009-01-27T19:59:00.000-05:00embarrassed by the miracle,and crushed by remonstr...embarrassed by the miracle,<BR/>and crushed by remonstrance<BR/><BR/>thanks for this - I can't help thinking of Pascal's wager when I read those linesBob MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11335631079939764763noreply@blogger.com