Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

["Gray, Rich" <RGray AT montreat.edu>]

Rhonda and Jonathan,
 
I have been away for several days while you have been working on the question 
of priests in Percy, especially Fr. Weatherby.  A useful conversation.
 
As a protestant reader, I rely on Catholics or protestants with more insight 
than I, to figure out how priests work in Percy's novels.
 
I have assumed that Weatherby is Catholic by being a "Father."  Him 
substituting for Jack could be due to Jack's ecumenism coupled with Jack 
deferring to the institution's residents.  
 
Weatherby appreciates the Christian gospel that has been believed and 
practiced for centuries.  Jack Curl seems not to have this ancient-based 
theology.  His beliefs are sociological.  
 
Jonathan's term "the Percyan scheme of things" is what interests me.  I think 
Percy has a priestly character or priestly function in every novel.  For 
example, Binx goes to Mass with his step-family -- an event at which a priest 
oversees the giving of blessing .  You can use a priest to show the presence 
of grace, whereas without a priest, you must use symbolic settings, 
characters praying, characters talking about their faith, and scripture 
quoted or alluded to.
 
How does this sound?
 
Rich

        -----Original Message----- 
        From: Jonathan Potter [mailto:jdp AT scn.org] 
        Sent: Sun 4/9/2006 7:24 PM 
        To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion 
        Cc: 
        Subject: Re: [percy-l] LITR
        
        
        You're absolutely right.  I guess it just seemed like Fr. Weatherbee 
ought to be RC in the Percyan scheme of things.  
         
        I couldn't find a discussion of their being episcopalians in the two 
collections of interviews, but I did find one reference, where the 
interviewer, Peggy Castex, remarks that sometimes it's hard to tell whether 
Percy's protagonist "is on the right track or the wrong track, whether he is 
deluded or has got part of the message which may lead him to the whole 
truth."  
         
        To which Percy replies: "You ought to know as a displaced American, 
latterday French lady that a writer cannot get away with theological 
revelations.... Of course the key is at the end of the novel.  It involves 
Will's relationship with Allie and the the nutty old priest [Weatherbee] who 
is out of his mind, but may be saner than the younger priest [Curl]." (More 
Conversations, p. 48) 
         
        I guess you could expand the original question about priests to 
consider Catholics and/or other believers that appear in Percy's novels.  Val 
would be one to consider for sure.  And I would add Lonnie from The 
Moviegoer, along with Fr. Smith and Percival.  I'm not sure I'd lump Fr. 
Boomer in LG in with the Fr. Curl type; it seems to me he does a pretty 
serviceable job with Jamie's baptism -- but I can't remember whether he 
appears earlier. 
         
        --Jonathan
         
         
        On 4/9/06, RHONDA MCDONNELL <rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com> wrote: 

                You're right, Episcopalian is the American term.  For what 
it's worth,
                chapter 12 begins, "Father Weatherbee sat behind Jack Curl's 
mahogany desk 
                with its collection of Russian ikons and bleeding Mexican 
crucifixes." Both
                Weatherbee and Curl are Episcopalian. What I can't remember 
is why Percy
                made them Episcopalian. He discusses it in an interview, but 
I don't have 
                the time to dig it up. While I'm here in chapter 12, Fr. 
Weatherbee's rant:
                
                How can we be the best earest most generous people on earth, 
and at the same
                time so unhappy? How harsh everyone is here! How restless! 
How impatient! 
                How worried! How sarcastic! How unhappy! How hateful! How 
pleasure-loving!
                How lascivious! Above all, how selfish! Why is it that we 
have more than any
                other people, are more generous with what we have, and yet 
are so selfish 
                and unhappy? Why do we think of hothing but our own pleasure? 
I cannot
                believe my eyes at what I see on television. It makes me 
blush with shame.
                Did you know that pleasure-seeking leads to cruelty? That is 
why more and 
                more people beat their children. Children interfere with 
pleasure. Do you
                hate children? Why can't we be grateful for our great 
blessings and thank
                God? . . . Why is it that Americans who are the best dearest 
most generous 
                people on earth are so unhappy?"
                
                He's definitely in the same vein as Father Smith. And Boomer 
(wasn't that
                his name?) is Last Gentleman is of the Jack Curl type. The 
question
                beginning of this line of thought, regarding Percy's priests, 
is a good one. 
                It looks like he's working from two types--my question is, 
can Val from Last
                Gentleman be grouped with Frs. Weatherbee and Smith?
                --Rhonda
                The best lack all convictions, while the worst
                Are full of passionate intensity. -- WB Yeats 
                
                
                >From: "Jonathan Potter" <jdp AT scn.org>
                >Reply-To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
                >< percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org 
<mailto:percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org> >
                >To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
                ><percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
                >Subject: Re: [percy-l] LITR 
                >Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2006 10:02:24 -0700
                >
                >I thought Fr. Weatherbee (the priest Will questions at the 
end, grabbing
                >his
                >arm) was Roman Catholic.  It's been awhile since I've read 
it, but I'm 
                >pretty sure it was just the priest earlier in the book that 
was
                >Anglican/Episcopalian.
                >
                >Jonathan Potter
                >Spokane WA
                >
                >
                >On 4/8/06, RHONDA MCDONNELL < rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com 
<mailto:rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com> > wrote:
                > >
                > > wasn't the first one you mention the guy that wore the 
jumpsuits and
                >acts
                > > more like a building super than a priest? Jack Curl 
maybe? The second 
                >was
                > > Fr. Weatherbee, whose rant regarding the behavior of 
Americans is
                > > genius--wasn't the quote something about his silly (or 
simple), holy
                >face?
                > > Weatherbee is definitely linked to Fr. Smith. He seems to 
be daft but 
                >he's
                > > really the one that's onto something that no one else is 
paying
                >attention
                > > to. He knows the truth of things. That's why Will asks 
him the important
                > > questions. Worth noting is that the priests in 2nd Coming 
are Anglican 
                >(as
                > > is the priest Lance is named for in Lancelot).
                > >
                > > --Rhonda
                > > The best lack all convictions, while the worst
                > > Are full of passionate intensity. -- WB Yeats 
                > >
                > >
                > > >From: <Robert_Pauley AT oxy.com>
                > > >Reply-To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical 
Discussion"
                > > >< percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
                > > >To: <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
                > > >Subject: Re: [percy-l] LITR 
                > > >Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 10:23:07 -0700
                > > >
                > > >A couple of priests played pivotal roles in The Second 
Coming.  I don't
                > > >recall his name, but the parish priest always trying to 
encourage Will 
                > > >Barrett to join his church's men's group outings and 
otherwise come
                > > >"into the fold" was one, and represented the kind the 
extreme
                > > >earnestness which Percy, or at least Barrett, found 
simultaneously 
                > > >cloying and yet not unimportant to a community.  The 
second was an
                > > >older, former renegade missionary who jolts Will into 
his final,
                > > >redemptive awareness that "a gift may be a sign of a 
giver."  I found 
                > > >this Percy novel to be his most accomplished and 
accessible: a solidly
                > > >grounded meditation on suburban malaise and 
self-delusion, an effective
                > > >and prescient social satire (Will's daughter's "new-age" 
enthusiasms 
                >are
                > > >hilarious), and a touching love story.  Not easy to pull 
off.  It
                > > >tracked a character straight through from the impulse to 
suicide to a
                > > >saving awareness without ever resorting to the kind of 
dopey flourishes 
                > > >of so many other social satires of the time - and 
afterward.
                >Basically,
                > > >Will Barrett loses his mind without ever losing his 
head.  I also
                > > >appreciated the fact that it followed up on Will Barrett 
after leaving 
                > > >him off in a Santa Fe wasteland so many years before.
                > > >
                > > >Peace.
                > > >
                > > >________________________________
                > > >
                > > >From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
                > > >[mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of 
Dye, Steve 
                > > >Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 7:35 AM
                > > >To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
                > > >Subject: Re: [percy-l] LITR
                > > >
                > > >
                > > >You are asking a very loaded question - it will be 
interesting to see 
                > > >the responses you get!
                > > >
                > > >Steven L. Dye, MA
                > > >Director
                > > >Bluegrass MH-MR Board, Inc.
                > > >1500 Leestown Road, Suite 338
                > > >Lexington, KY 40511 
                > > >
                > > >-----Original Message-----
                > > >From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
                > > >[mailto: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org 
<mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org> ] On Behalf Of Gray, Rich
                > > >Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 10:31 AM
                > > >To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
                > > >Subject: Re: [percy-l] LITR 
                > > >
                > > >
                > > >
                > > >________________________________
                > > >
                > > >From: Dye, Steve [mailto:sldye AT bluegrass.org ]
                > > >Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 9:43 AM
                > > >To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
                > > >
                > > >Have any of you considered the role of priests in 
Percy's novels?  Is 
                > > >there any common thread?
                > > >
                > > >In The Moviegoer is there a priest?  The role grows into 
a main
                > > >character in The Thanatos Syndrome, Father Reynaldo 
Smith.  There must 
                > > >be a purpose for these priests.
                > > >
                > > >As a Protestant Christian, I would like to know if 
Catholic Percy
                > > >readers see any of these priests as realistic.
                > > > 
                > > >Rich Gray
                > >
                > >
                > > >--
                > > >An archive of all list discussion is available at
                > > >http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ 
                > > >
                > > >Visit the Walker Percy Project at 
http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
                > >
                > > 
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                > > --
                > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
                > > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/
                > > 
                > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at 
http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
                > >
                
                
                >--
                >An archive of all list discussion is available at
                > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ 
<http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/> 
                >
                >Visit the Walker Percy Project at 
http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
                
                
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