Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London, England, and was a writer, critic, apologist and illustrator. He came from a non-practicing Anglican family and attended the London Slade School of Art in London where he began to develop and deepen his faith. In 1922 he converted to Roman Catholicism, and established a newspaper, G.K.'s Weekly, which included nearly three thousand pieces of his original poetry. In 1936, Pope Pius Xi granted him the title of Defender of the Catholic Faith for his apologetics. He is known for being an inspiration to writers such as C.S. Lewis and Ronald Knox.
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Belloc, Hilaire “On the Place of Gilbert Chesterton in English Letters.” De Montford University
This essay by Hilaire Belloc discusses Chesterton’s ‘usefulness’ in the fields of literature, politics and religion. Belloc wrote both as a professional and a friend, fondly reflecting on Chesterton’s impact to her own way of thinking over the years, and that of the public more generally. Though brief, it is an interesting exercise in reflection and attention to the influence Chesterton had on those around him.
Belloc, Hilaire. “On the Place of Gilbert Chesterton in English Letters.” De Montford University.
http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/Chesterton/Belloc-essay.txt.
This text can be found in the J.M. Kelly "G.K. Chesterton Collection"
Belloc, Hilaire. “On the Place of Gilbert Chesterton in English Letters.” De Montford University.
http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/Chesterton/Belloc-essay.txt.
This text can be found in the J.M. Kelly "G.K. Chesterton Collection"
G.K. Chesterton Autobiography
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This is Chesterton’s reflection on his own life, written in his final year and published posthumously. The tone is witty and provides a unique perspective on many of the significant people and events of his life as well as a insight into several of his published works.
Chesterton, G. K. Autobiography. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1986. Read the Book: WorldCat |
G.K. Chesterton, Letter to an unknown woman
In this letter, Chesterton outlines the way that he comes to a conviction: by looking at the idea from all different angles, especially from the point of view of people he disagrees with. His understanding of developing conviction can be summed up in this phrase: “Convention is not alone a ground for conviction. But it is emphatically one of the fifty standpoints from which one ought to examine one’s conviction.”
Chesterton, G.K. Letter to and Unknown Woman. Beaconsfield, Newcastle, circa 1920.
This letter can be found in the J.M. Kelly "G.K. Chesterton Collection"
Chesterton, G.K. Letter to and Unknown Woman. Beaconsfield, Newcastle, circa 1920.
This letter can be found in the J.M. Kelly "G.K. Chesterton Collection"
Ian Ker G. K. Chesterton: A Biography
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Ker's biography is both thorough and neutral in his approach to Chesterton's life. It consolidates Chesterton’s writings into a coherent argument, often with minimal external commentary, which is useful for researchers who are mainly interested in what Chesterton has to say about particular topics, but lack the time or energy to engage in each of the original texts.
Ker, Ian. G. K. Chesterton: A Biography. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Read the Book WorldCat |
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Chesterton, G. K. Heretics.
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Heretics contains a great deal of information about human nature in relation to wonder, hope, and conviction. The ideas in presented in Heretics preface much of the philosophy present in The Common Man. Heretics was one of the earliest of all the Chesterton writings, and though it was written in 1905 before his conversion, his thoughts and orthodoxy are already consistent with the Roman Catholic faith, to which he cam in 1922.
Chesterton, G. K. 1905. Heretics. Garden City, New York: Garden City Pub. Co. First American Edition. Read the Book: WorldCat |
Chesterton, G. K. What's Wrong with the World
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This book is one of the few of Chesterton's works that deals explicitly with education and comparisons drawn out from this topic to things like dogma, violence, and tradition. These comparisons are useful for understanding and engaging with his views on the method and meaning of education.
Chesterton, G. K. 1910. What's Wrong with the World. London: Cassell. First Edition. Read the Book: WorldCat |
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Chesterton, G. K. Manalive
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This book engages with the popular concept of the "holy fool" through the character of Innocent Smith. The way Smith is viewed in society of the and interacts with university professors and the ethics in law, are all intriguing themes the reveal a great deal about Chesterton's personal philosophy. This book is also said to reflect themes developed in the essays in Orthodoxy and The Common Man, which were all written mere years apart.
Chesterton, G. K. 1912. Manalive. New York: John Lane Co. First Edition. Read the Book: WorldCat |
Chesterton, G. K. Fancies versus fads.
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Fancies versus fads contains Chesterton’s criticism on a variety of things, however they are drawn together in the introduction which claims that the vastness of topics had the thread of unity running through all of them because they are all topics of the wondering mind and stress the importance of freedom to be able to wonder.
Chesterton, G. K. 1923. Fancies versus fads. London: Methuen and Co. Frist Edition Read the Book: WorldCat |
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Chesterton, G. K. The common man.
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The collection of essays in the Common Man include Chesterton’s essays that were published after he died, and while they range in topic they are unified with the common thread of talking about people in his contemporary setting. Some essays worth paying particular attention to are, “The New Case for Catholic Schools”, “The Revival of Philosophy-Why?”, “The Frivolous Man”, “Laughter” and “If I Only Had One Sermon to Preach”.
Chesterton, G. K. 1950. The common man. London: Sheed & Ward. Read the Book: WorldCat |
