Orthodoxy by G K Chesterton

Orthodoxy by G K Chesterton

&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RCandide&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&RVoltaire&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&R

New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

&&LP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt&&RAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.&&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LP&&ROne of the finest satires ever written, &&LB&&RVoltaire&&L/B&&R's &&LI&&RCandide&&L/I&&R savagely skewers this very optimistic approach to life as a shamefully inadequate response to human suffering. The swift and lively tale follows the absurdly melodramatic adventures of the youthful Candide, who is forced into the army, flogged, shipwrecked, betrayed, robbed, separated from his beloved Cun gonde, and tortured by the Inquisition. As Candide experiences and witnesses calamity upon calamity, he begins to discover that--contrary to the teachings of his tutor, Dr. Pangloss--all is perhaps not always for the best. After many trials, travails, and incredible reversals of fortune, Candide and his friends finally retire together to a small farm, where they discover that the secret of happiness is simply to cultivate one's garden, a philosophy that rejects excessive optimism and metaphysical speculation in favor of the most basic pragmatism. &&L/P&&R&&LP&&RFilled with wit, intelligence, and an abundance of dark humor, &&LI&&RCandide&&L/I&&R is relentless and unsparing in its attacks upon corruption and hypocrisy--in religion, government, philosophy, science, and even romance. Ultimately, this celebrated work says that it is possible to challenge blind optimism without losing the will to live and pursue a happy life. &&L/P&&R&&LP&&R&&LB&&RGita May&&L/B&&R is Professor of French at Columbia University. She has published extensively on the French Enlightenment, eighteenth-century aesthetics, the novel and autobiography, and women in literature, history, and the arts. &&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London, England on the 29th of May, 1874. Though he considered himself a mere rollicking journalist, he was actually a prolific and gifted writer in virtually every area of literature. A man of strong opinions and enormously talented at defending them, his exuberant personality nevertheless allowed him to maintain warm friendships with people-such as George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells-with whom he vehemently disagreed.

Chesterton had no difficulty standing up for what he believed. He was one of the few journalists to oppose the Boer War. His 1922 Eugenics and Other Evils attacked what was at that time the most progressive of all ideas, the idea that the human race could and should breed a superior version of itself. In the Nazi experience, history demonstrated the wisdom of his once reactionary views.

His poetry runs the gamut from the comic 1908 On Running After One's Hat to dark and serious ballads. During the dark days of 1940, when Britain stood virtually alone against the armed might of Nazi Germany, these lines from his 1911 Ballad of the White Horse were often quoted:

I tell you naught for your comfort, Yea, naught for your desire, Save that the sky grows darker yet And the sea rises higher.

Though not written for a scholarly audience, his biographies of authors and historical figures like Charles Dickens and St. Francis of Assisi often contain brilliant insights into their subjects. His Father Brown mystery stories, written between 1911 and 1936, are still being read and adapted for television.

Heretics belongs to yet another area of literature at which Chesterton excelled. A fun-loving and gregarious man, he was nevertheless troubled in his adolescence by thoughts of suicide. In Christianity he found the answers to the dilemmas and paradoxes he saw in life. Other books in that same series include his 1908 Orthodoxy (written in response to attacks on this book) and his 1925 The Everlasting Man. Orthodoxy is also available as electronic text.

Chesterton died on the 14th of June, 1936 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. During his life he published 69 books and at least another ten based on his writings have been published after his death. Many of those books are still in print. Ignatius Press is systematically publishing his collected writings.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781493508075
ISBN 10	1493508075
Title	Orthodoxy
Author	G K Chesterton
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Ortho Publishing
Year published	2013-10-16
Number of pages	164
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.