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

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  • From: Leonard <leonardh6363 AT gmail.com>
  • To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [percy-l] The Last Gentleman reading group discussion ends Friday
  • Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2025 19:22:02 -0400

 

 

 

 

Henry and everyone …

 

Thank you for all your excellent observations, explications and exaltations about Percy and his “Last Gentleman.” And for so many kind words.

 

This has been a highlight of my long hot summer. “Slow read” has my name on it…I read like a sloth. I read it a couple of times years back, but I raced through it. My nephew (another Percy lover) and I quote the punchlines as often as Seinfeld’s (“Try as he might, he could not bring himself to speak to the cat”).

 

The humor is great, but this time, I was able to enjoy the description…a sort of song of the south.

 

I read “The Moviegoer” closely last year with the slow readers, and before that I wrote about an uncanny connection to the amazing “Great Gatsby,” another poetically beautiful book. I’ve begun to appreciate Percy’s literary qualities now, along with his humor I’ve always loved—two qualities I think that are sometimes overlooked in examinations of philosophy.

 

Henry last year shared a letter from Marcus Smith that Percy wrote. I was particularly struck by a line that suggests Percy was thinking about that idea: "There is no surer prescription for disaster in any novel than to put it to ideological use, whether it be philosophical, Christian or Marxist."

 

To answer one of Henry’s final questions, I definitely will read the book again, particularly for the beauty of it. I also want to look closer at its connection to “Huck Finn.”

 

I don’t feel adequate to say it’s better or worse than “The Moviegoer,” but I can say I like the earlier work better…I’m crazy about New Orleans, and I feel closer to the hero’s sensibilities as it’s related in first person.

 

Finally, I think the ending is satisfying, though it’s not “complete,” in that Will Barrett progresses, but he has a way to go.

 

It’s been a great ride, and thank you all for letting me Trav-L-Aire with you.

 

Till next time,

Leonard

 

 

 


On Mon, Jul 21, 2025 at 3:18 PM Henry P. Mills III <wppdirector AT gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Reading Group:

First, thank you to Janet and Leonard for posting your thoughtful joint questions on Friday. And thanks as well to Rhonda, Chuck, Tom, and everyone who contributed questions and responses over the past few weeks. Your efforts and insights led to many great discussions!

This Friday marks the conclusion of this year's summer reading group, though of course, you’re welcome to keep the conversation going beyond that. Janet's and Leonard’s questions still offer plenty of material to explore.

In addition, everyone is invited to share closing thoughts on the novel as well. For instance, did the ending feel complete? Would you read the book again, now that you’ve finished it? How did it compare as a novel to The Moviegoer, last summer's book? Any and all reflections you share will add further breadth, no doubt, to our understanding and appreciation of the novel and Percy as a writer.

Finally, I’m re-attaching the quiz I sent out before we began reading — have fun!

Cheers,
Henry


__
Henry P. Mills III
Director, The Walker Percy Project
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