More Personal Journeys

About the Book

This volume contains six personal essays on six prominent classic authors written for the average reader who is minimally familiar with the authors, probably just heard of them by name, and would like an introduction to these literary figures and their works. The authors have been carefully chosen: two, Chaucer and Shakespeare, are primarily poets; two, Augustine and Newman, are primarily churchmen; and two, Chesterton and Greene, are primarily masters of prose. All six, however, are master craftsmen and have made an enormous contribution to world culture. The underlying argument of the book is that the authors’ Christian faith gave impetus to their creative output. Although all the observations about the authors and their works are fully researched and based on Professor Fiore’s years as professor and critic, a conscious effort has been made to avoid esoteric research problems, and their consequent footnotes, in an effort to present a readable and intimate approach to the writers. The book is ideal for the general reader, the undergraduate student, and the lover of great literature. The first chapter of the book entitled “Geoffrey Chaucer” presents a survey of the poet’s life taking into consideration that records are few in terms of biographical information. Chaucer is seen as representative of that increasingly important middle class that was constantly infiltrating the aristocracy. He lived in a world that knew no reformation, no puritanism, jansenism, no victorianism. He was a product of a totally medieval Roman Catholic England. The early poems are given consideration here and “The Canterbury Tales,” his masterpiece, is given fuller treatment. The pilgrims are described and the tales are discussed. Special consideration is given to the pilgrims whom posterity has seen as unique creations: the affected Madame Eglantyne and her “Prioress’ Tale,” the haughty Chanticleer and the “Nun’s Priest Tale,” the bawdy Wife of Bath and her tale about marital fidelity. The chapter concludes that Chaucer, who wrote in many genres, gave a loving and often hilarious picture of the many social types living in England at the time; he is deservedly considered the “Father of English Literature.” The chapter on “William Shakespeare” again discusses the poet’s life taking into consideration that the records are scarce in terms of biographical information. The chapter discusses life in England at the time, the state of the theater in London, and the poet’s experimenting with the sonnet form, the result being some of the most beautiful poetry in the English language. All the plays are covered giving compact descriptions of plots and characters. Further into the chapter, plays and passages from plays are analyzed as reflecting the Christian tradition in which the poet wrote. The chapter concludes that the poet was a far more responsible husband and father than posterity has made him out to be, an enterprising and astute business man, who, likewise, was the greatest writer in the history of England. The chapter on “Augustine of Hippo” gives a survey of the Father’s life, his promiscuous early years, his grappling with various philosophical and theological schools of thought, his conversion to Catholic Christianity, and his life and ministry as Bishop of Hippo. His two major works are given full treatment, “The Confessions” and “The City of God.” “The Confessions,” a work that has inspired thousands of thinkers and writers down through the ages and has provided source material for many works of literature, is seen as a true spiritual autobiography. “The City of God,” which inspired Aquinas, Bonaventure, and most of the great theologians through the centuries, contains all of the dogmatic teachings of the Christian Church, that is, the Fall of Man, the Fall of Angels, the Incarnation, Redemption, and Salvation. The chapter on “John Henry Newman” establishes the fact that Newman as a Cardinal was the true precursor of the Second Vatican Coun

About the Author

Peter A. Fiore, Scholar in Residence and a Franciscan priest at Siena College, holds a doctorate from London University in England. He is the former Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and former Head of the English Department at Siena College. His books and articles on Milton and Donne were published by Penn State University Press, Huntington Library Quarterly, Milton Quarterly, CEA Critic, and Renascence. His book “Personal Journeys: essays on Dante, Donne, Milton, Hopkins, Waugh, and Flannery O’Connor” was published in 2001 and his book “More Personal Journeys: essays on Chaucer, Shakespeare, Augustine, Newman, Chesterton, and Greene” was published in 2005. “The Gospels are Now” is Professor Fiore’s sixth book.