In WAYR?, I note what I’m reading and comment...you note what you are reading and comment. Occasionally, I may add a section or a link related to books…
I am reading:
The Master by Colm Tóibín- I’ve already read quite a bit about and by the James family, so I know how they felt about The Civil War. I believe that WAYR has seen this sketch by William James before.
Sketch by William James of his brother Wilky recovering from his wounds in the Civil War. Wilky fought in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which consisted mostly of Black troops and was the subject of the film Glory.
Tóibín renders a literary sketch of this picture and how it affected Henry that’s very moving.
James basically spends his first few years in Lamb House gearing up for the second part of his career and reminiscing about his family and travels (which seems like a very middle-aged thing to do).
When people asked them, especially in Newport, what their father did, all five James children had difficulty replying. Their father lived on his inheritance, the revenue from rent and dividends, but this was hardly what he did. He was also a sort of philosopher and sometimes he gave lectures and wrote articles. But none of this added up to a simple phrase or an easy answer...
The house lived on the ebb and flow of Wilky’s pain. Henry realized that he had paid such close attention to Mr. Russell on that first day because he would have done anything to avoid having to look at his brother and contemplate his future. Once Mr. Russell had left, he had no choice but to take in the scene in all its horror. Wilky’s hair was matted and his body limp and sweaty. Wilky did not seem to sleep; he lay on his side, constantly moaning and as the pain intensified crying out suddenly. Sometimes the cries turned into shrieks and they filled the house. Henry believed that his brother was going to die.
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer (The Journals of Thomas Merton Book 2) by Thomas Merton- Merton spends a lot of time complaining about the Gethsemani choir. He also catalogues some of the holdings of the manuscripts in the Gethsemani library and continues to contemplate his future; with the Trappists or another monastic order.
August 3, 1947, Sunday
I suppose that one reason why I still get upset about the choir is that I think I can get rid of my passions by analyzing them. As soon as we start to sing, we start to have trouble.And as soon as we have trouble, my temper begins to burn…
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It is useless to sit back and wait for your passions to die down of their own accord. We have to overcome feelings that lead our wills into imperfection and sin. However, you can’t expect to be without any feelings whatever. A choir that is flat is flat, and if you keep hearing the pitch pipe below, you cannot help suffering from the fact that the choir is always flat.. If they would only throw that pitch pipe into the creek, we could all get used to our flat voices and let it go at that...
2666 by Roberto Bolano-
Autospy by Patricia Cornwell-