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

[Joseph Francisco <joe.francisco4591 AT gmail.com>]

If I can still add to this thread: I just happened to pick the "Morte Darthur" off of my book shelves and of course I saw two familiar names: Lancelot and Percival. Certainly reasonable to think that the Dr would have delved into medieval literature for inspiration, pursuant to the Catholic quality of his writing. 

So this is to say that perhaps it would be helpful, for those who don't know, or have forgotten, that Lancelot is a knight mired in his sin, unable to respond to the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, as his heart is "harder than stone and bitterer than the tree." He later runs across a hermit and confesses himself, receives council about the error of his ways and how he might fix them, and is absolved.

Sir Percival, on the other hand, was a knight of near-perfect faith in Christ. He is rewaded with a strong and beautful horse, while in the preceding story, Sir Lancelot loses his horse.

Just a little background on what may have been WP's inspiration for his own characters. Forgive me if I have misreported any details of these dense, allegorical tales, the language of which features many foreign words and usages.

--Joe Francisco

On Thu, Jul 16, 2020 at 5:12 PM Michael Larson <larsonovic AT gmail.com> wrote:

Rhonda,

That is an interesting speculation. Of course, the true priest always presents the Immaculate Christ, right, specifically in the mass and the sacraments? But then in this case, we can't really say that Lance's confession is a sacramental one. In fact, it is clearly not. So the role of Percival is indeed reduced more to friend than priest, in which case the emphasis on fellow sinner is more apt. On the other hand, Percy paints the dramatic situation to suggest a sacramental setting, the confined cell, the silence of the priest throughout all the long confession, the fact that the listener IS a priest, etc.. So he is playing with both ideas. The silence of Percival speaks volumes, though. There is in it both a pregnant judgment and a way to bear it, I suspect. But that is in the pages we do not see ...

Mike

On Thu, Jul 2, 2020 at 11:04 AM <percy-l-request AT lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:

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Today's Topics:

   1. Debt Forgiveness and Lancelot (Michael Larson)
   2. Re: Debt Forgiveness and Lancelot (RHONDA MCDONNELL)


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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2020 17:37:13 -0500
From: Michael Larson <larsonovic AT gmail.com>
To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [percy-l] Debt Forgiveness and Lancelot
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 Debt forgiveness is for the ignorant (those who know not what they do) and
for the repentant, those who are sorry for their wrongs and aim to amend
their lives. This latter implies a belief in an objective moral order.

In *Lancelot*, three ways are proposed (p. 255-57): 1) Sodom: the way of
the modern world (i.e. rejection of an objective moral order), 2) Lance's
way (i.e. a return to an objective moral order, enforced with an iron fist:
a new version of the Old Law), 3) Percival's way: the way of the Church
(i.e. acceptance of an objective moral order, but mercy for the penitent: a
return to the New Law, a.k.a. Christendom).

The world at present is in the final throes of the first way, but Lancelot
and Percival agree that the future of humanity cannot continue in this way.
They agree beyond any doubt that it will be either the second or the third
way, but not both. And we know which of the two Percy, the author, is
asserting by the final words of the novel, when Lancelot asks Percival, "Is
there anything you wish to tell me before I leave?" and Percival, who has
been the silent hearer of Lance's 255-page confession, responds, "Yes."

Probably he will tell Lance that without sorrow for his sins, the new
beginning he envisions is as doomed as the modern world.

Mike Larson
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2020 22:56:25 +0000
From: RHONDA MCDONNELL <rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com>
To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
        <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [percy-l] Debt Forgiveness and Lancelot
Message-ID:
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Thanks for the perspective, Michael. Wondering what Father John is going to say has taken up some mental energy on my end, as well. I?ve always imagined that he would note Lance?s hypocrisy and, as a stand in for God, present the ?maculate Christ? as Tom Moore sees in Love in the Ruins. In other words, Father John would speak to Lancelot not as a judge or even a priest, but as a fellow sinner who is, even so, a believer.

Cheers,

Rhonda McDonnell

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 1, 2020, at 6:38 PM, Michael Larson <larsonovic AT gmail.com> wrote:

?
Debt forgiveness is for the ignorant (those who know not what they do) and for the repentant, those who are sorry for their wrongs and aim to amend their lives. This latter implies a belief in an objective moral order.

In Lancelot, three ways are proposed (p. 255-57): 1) Sodom: the way of the modern world (i.e. rejection of an objective moral order), 2) Lance's way (i.e. a return to an objective moral order, enforced with an iron fist: a new version of the Old Law), 3) Percival's way: the way of the Church (i.e. acceptance of an objective moral order, but mercy for the penitent: a return to the New Law, a.k.a. Christendom).

The world at present is in the final throes of the first way, but Lancelot and Percival agree that the future of humanity cannot continue in this way. They agree beyond any doubt that it will be either the second or the third way, but not both. And we know which of the two Percy, the author, is asserting by the final words of the novel, when Lancelot asks Percival, "Is there anything you wish to tell me before I leave?" and Percival, who has been the silent hearer of Lance's 255-page confession, responds, "Yes."

Probably he will tell Lance that without sorrow for his sins, the new beginning he envisions is as doomed as the modern world.

Mike Larson

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