Unnatural Death

Dear Misfits,

We can now add another great novel to our growing bibliography of classic literature.  This month we read and discussed Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey novel, Unnatural Death (The Dawson Pedigree).  I predict that we will read more of these absorbing, masterfully written mysteries.  Ms. Sayers is noted for both her mystery stories and for her Christian scholarship. (See Divine Comedy below.) She is also the first woman to be awarded a degree from Oxford University.  But, Lord Peter Wimsey is her hallmark character, staring in 15 novels and a collection of Lord Peter Wimsey short stories.

Unnatural Death begins with Lord Peter Wimsey overhearing a conversation at his club. His curiosity aroused, he asks the speaker to give a detailed account of his story.  The speaker, Dr. Carr, is willing to comply—and cautions that his story does not have a happy ending.  Because he followed his medical instincts and voiced his suspicions that his patient’s death was “unnatural”, he lost his medical practice in the small town wherein he was practicing.  The doctor told Lord Peter that he became suspicious when his patient, Agatha Dawson, died suddenly. He was almost certain that she had more time to live.  Agatha Dawson’s great niece, Ms. Mary Whitaker, was her care taker at the time and did call the doctor to say that her aunt was doing poorly.  However, his subsequent examination didn't match that diagnosis. He had strong doubts about how "natural" Agatha’s death was, but he had no proof.

After hearing Dr. Carr’s story, Lord Peter’s “detecting” instincts are fully engaged.  He and his side kick, Detective Charles Parker--the 'official' detective from Scotland Yard—proceed to develop the proof needed to reopen the case and discover the actual, very mysterious cause of Agatha Dawson’s untimely and unnatural death.  If you like murder mysteries, you will love this novel.  You will also be captivated by Ms. Sayers’ highly descriptive writing style and the marvelous characters she uses to develop the story line and ultimate resolution.

And now to the future:

March’s book, by popular demand, is Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  I have started reading the novel…and can’t put it down!  Some may wonder why a Catholic Men’s Reading Group is reading Dracula!  I myself was a bit puzzled when several Misfits recommended the book. I’ve discovered that the novel is, by tone and reference, very Catholic.   In fact, the Catholicism in Dracula is the subject of an excellent essay by Eleanor Bourg Donlon in the May/June issue of the St. Austin Review.  The following is an excerpt from the essay:

“The crucifix given to Jonathan Harker serves as a mise en abyme for Bram Stoker’s use of the Catholic aesthetic in Dracula. Put simply, the plot is about good versus evil; more deeply embedded within the novel is a fascinating manipulation of Catholicism as a means for dealing with the supernatural. Characters, narrating their own story in the form of diaries, journals, and letters, base their interpretation of events on two simple yet interconnected principles: first, that Count Dracula is a supernatural being embodying the Christian concept of Satan; second, that the vampiric sucking of blood is an Anti-Eucharist. From these premises the novel constructs a religious paradigm—a decidedly Catholic paradigm—through which the characters can both understand and combat the perceived threat. Some admission is made of the sacramental power of Catholic accessories, but a fear of that power persists—Harker, as an “English Churchman”, tentatively ascribes his unease to “the crucifix itself”. The novel, unequivocally rejecting the evil intrinsic in the Romanian vampire, is in the end conflicted in its reception of Catholicism, and turns from this unresolved problem, to conventional, although complicated, Protestant resolution.”

Dracula is in print and widely available.  Amazon sells several editions of the classic story-- some for as little as a dollar (plus shipping.)

 April-September’s reading schedule has changed a bit!  As I reported last month, we have decided to read Dante’s Divine Comedy.  However, we will take six months to read it as opposed to the nine months we originally thought would be necessary.  Thus, it will take us six months to accomplish the challenge. 

We are also fortunate to have Misfit Tom Loome help us with our reading of The Divine Comedy.  He taught several university courses in Dante in years past.  He declares that it is unquestionably one of the greatest works of Christian literature, if not world literature, ever written.

Do also remember that we are going to use the three volume Penguin Edition of Dorothy Sayers highly regarded translation.  (This will give us a common point of reference for our discussion of the three books of the Divine Comedy.)  Our reading schedule is now as follows:

 April-May:  The Divine Comedy, Part 1: Hell (Penguin Classics) - Paperback (June 30, 1950) by Dante Alighieri and Dorothy L. Sayers.   There are 34 Cantos in the book so we will read and discuss 17Cantos each month.

            June-July:  The Divine Comedy, Part 2: Purgatory (Penguin Classics) (v. 2) - Paperback (Aug. 30, 1955) by Dante Alighieri, C. W. Scott-Giles, and Dorothy L. Sayers. Again, there are 33 Cantos so we will read and discuss 17 Cantos in June and 16 in July.

August-September:  The Divine Comedy, Part 3: Paradise (Penguin Classics) (v. 3) - Paperback (July 30, 1962) by Dante Alighieri, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Barbara Reynolds. Again, there are 33 Cantos in the book so we will read 17 Cantos in August and 16 in September. We are also fortunate to have Misfit Loome help us with our reading of The Divine Comedy.  He taught several university courses in Dante in years past.  He declares that it is unquestionably one of the greatest works of Christian literature, if not world literature, ever written.

And remember that we meet on the Second Wednesday of every month in the St. Thomas More Library at the Church of St. Michael at 7:00 pm.  Our meetings last until 8:30 pm (and then we sometimes retire to Meister’s Bar for a pint or two…and further discussion, often about books!)  So, hope to see you next month at 7:00pm,  Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

With warmest regards,

Misfit Buzz

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Is this a Catholic bookstore?

The Protestant builders of our store building.

We have recently observed the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and Pope Benedict dedicated his General Audience that week to the same topic.  In his talk he writes: "It is therefore important to increase day by day in reciprocal love, striving to surmount those barriers between Christians that still exist; to feel that real inner unity exists among all those who follow the Lord; to collaborate as closely as possible, working together on the issues that are still unresolved; and above all, to be aware that on this journey we need the Lord’s assistance, he will have to give us even more help for, on our own, unless we “abide in him”, we can do nothing (cf. Jn 15:5)".  How does Loome Theological Booksellers fit into this?



Very often, when Protestants and others (and there are others), visit the bookstore they will ask, "Is this a Catholic bookstore," to which the answer is a qualified "yes".  We are a Catholic bookstore because the majority of our books are written by Catholics.  We are a Catholic bookstore because the majority of our workers have always been Catholic and some that weren't became Catholic (but not all).  We are also Catholic in the universal sense of that word.  We carry all books that help distinguish Truth from untruth, point to the Truth, prepare the way for the Truth, and bear witness to the Truth no matter if they were written by Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or others (and there are others).  So, yes, we are a Catholic bookstore.

For the sake of a credible witness to Christ, Pope Benedict urges that we "collaborate as closely as possible, working together on the issues that are still unresolved".  Loome Theological Booksellers works with Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox through the books we sell to effect that "collaboration" and working towards resolution of those "issues that are still unresolved".  We have the books to give historical perspective and theological accuracy to the ecumenical discussions and endeavours of Christians today.  Yes, we are a Catholic bookstore and we are committed to ecumenism and we have the books to prove it.


Read well!
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(Anglican) Loss and (Catholic) Gain: The Story of Newman

Another post from Buzz Kriesel - leader of the Misfits:

Dear Misfits,

Blessed John Henry Newman’s novel, Loss and Gain:  The Story of a Convert, was a very inspirational read.  In some respects, it could be termed a primer on conversion as well as one of the strongest apologetics in defense of the Faith.  It could also be given the title of “Contra Protestantism” as it refutes in detail, all of the claims of the protestant faith, particularly that of Anglicanism. One Misfit noted that the style used by Cardinal Newman was “Socratic” in that each of the characters raised a question and then another answered with arguments or logic that supported the central theme of the novel...the Catholic Church is the true Church and salvation is through the Church.

The claims made by Cardinal Newman in 1874 in support of the Catholic Faith contra the Anglican Church are as true today as they were those many years ago.  Cardinal Newman’s beatification was officially proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 during his visit to the United Kingdom.  The tide has turned and the faith is again growing in England as the Anglican Church continues it’s decline.  It is  significant that the Holy Father has created a new Ordinariate (Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham) to accommodate all of the Bishops and Priests the Church is gaining as Anglican clergy leave the Anglican Church.  I believe that anyone who reads Loss and Gain will fully understand why this is occurring.  It surprises me that it has taken so long!

Now to the future:

February’s book is by Dorothy Sayers.  We have been talking about reading her for many years.  We have chosen to read Unnatural Death, originally published in 1927.  This is the third of Dorothy L. Sayers’  "Lord Peter Wimsey" mystery novels and is regarded as one of the best in this excellent series.   In the story, a wealthy old woman is found dead, a trifle sooner than expected.  An intricate trail of horror and the senseless murder leads from a beautiful Hampshire village to a fashionable London flat and a deliberate test of amour as staged by the debonair sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey.  "Here the modern detective story begins to come to its own; and all the historical importance aside, it remains an absorbing and charming story today."

March’s book is a return to horror...classic horror!  We have, by popular demand, decided to read Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  (I think our recent reading of Frankenstein has given us a taste for the macabre.)  One reviewer sums the book up thus:  “Count Dracula has inspired countless movies, books, and plays. But few, if any, have been fully faithful to Bram Stoker's original, best-selling novel of mystery and horror, love and death, sin and redemption. Dracula chronicles the vampire's journey from Transylvania to the nighttime streets of London. There, he searches for the blood of strong men and beautiful women while his enemies plot to rid the world of his frightful power.”

April-December. I think this is going to come as a welcome surprise to those of you who weren’t at the meeting last Wednesday evening.  We canceled The Old Man and the Sea in favor of reading what many claim to be the greatest work of Catholic literature ever written!  We have decided to read Dante’s Divine Comedy.  It will take us nine months to accomplish the challenge.  We are going to use the three volume Penguin Edition of  Dorothy Sayers highly regarded translation of the Divine Comedy.  (This will give us a common point of reference for our discussion of the books.)  We will read the Divine Comedy in the following manner:

    April-June:  The Divine Comedy, Part 1: Hell (Penguin Classics) - Paperback (June 30, 1950) by Dante Alighieri and Dorothy L. Sayers.   There are 33 Cantos in the book so we will read and discuss 11 Cantos each month (about 75 pages each month).

    July-September:  The Divine Comedy, Part 2: Purgatory (Penguin Classics) (v. 2) - Paperback (Aug. 30, 1955) by Dante Alighieri, C. W. Scott-Giles, and Dorothy L. Sayers. Again, there are 33 Cantos so we will read and discuss 11 Cantos each month (about 100 pages each month).

    October-December:  The Divine Comedy,  Part 3: Paradise (Penguin Classics) (v. 3) - Paperback (July 30, 1962) by Dante Alighieri, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Barbara Reynolds. There are 33 Cantos in each book so we will read 11 Cantos each month (approximately 125 pages each month). We are also fortunate to have Misfit Loome help us with our reading of The Divine Comedy.  He taught several university courses in Dante in years past.  He declares that it is unquestionably one of the greatest works of Christian literature , if not world literature, ever written.

Warmest regards,

Misfit Buzz

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