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

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

The Moviegoer definitely surprises readers who expect a plot-driven novel.  
These readers can enjoy satire and philosophical reflection, if the ideas 
adhere to the skeleton of a suspenseful story.  Moviegoer, lacking such a 
plot of rising action-climax-falling action, substitutes Binx's monolog.  I 
like to think of this style of writing as prose-poetry.  What stands out 
artisticallyf or me is the poetry of Binx describing his life at a 
philosophical turning point.  The half-page passages of eloquent, terse, 
metaphoric strikes me like a Robert Browning dramatic monolog.  

Students may like learning Kierkegaard's three modes of belief: aesthetic, 
ethical, and religious (Binx pursuing Sharon, Aunt Emily lecturing Binx, and 
Binx contemplating the search).  An earlier post mentioned using in class a 
few Percy essays.  I like that approach, as Percy had huge success as an 
essayist--one of America's most articulate novelists, both in essay and 
interview.  Percy didn't just blab -- he used essay and interview as artistic 
modes, in support of his novel-writing.  

This is a fruitful string of posts.  Moviegoer is a top ten novel in the post 
WWII era, and we have the opportunity of introducing Moviegoer to a new 
generation of readers.

Rich Gray

<<winmail.dat>>