Post by bedefan on Oct 30, 2008 15:19:11 GMT -5
Just wondering what the dappled things think about Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Franz Wright. Specifically, is his poetry Catholic Poetry? If so, what does that mean?
I mean, he's probably the most visibly Catholic visible poet in America. He's very clearly made his conversion several years ago part of his "public persona" as a poet. And he writes about God and the Redemption and, most surprisingly for a contemporary writer, original sin. And he writes about these things constantly, not just in a few scattered poems. He even has a pro-life poem.
But does he cast into doubt his poetry's status as Catholic Poetry, in y'all's opinion, by his public dissent from the Magisterium on some of the big politicized issues du jour (women's ordination, maybe gay marriage too)?
In broader terms, is a Catholic poet's art suspect when they publicly dissent in this way? And if so, how suspect are we talking? What does it do to us as Catholic readers? And as Catholic writers reading?
Personally I think that while some of Wright's stances are definitely unfortunate, it's not like he's rejecting any of the Church's teachings on the natures of Christ, the Triune Godhead, the authority of the pope, the Virgin Birth, the Assumption of the Theotokos, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and so on. So, when I read his poetry, I feel I can approach it more or less with my guard down, open to spiritual and artistic "edification," to use an old term. Perhaps this is because he writes about things like the Redemption, and not about how he thinks women should be priests (what boring poems those would be...).
I'm genuinely interested in what people think here, though I don't know any of you, as this is one of the only (the only?) online "communities" of Catholic writers and readers of which I'm aware.
I mean, he's probably the most visibly Catholic visible poet in America. He's very clearly made his conversion several years ago part of his "public persona" as a poet. And he writes about God and the Redemption and, most surprisingly for a contemporary writer, original sin. And he writes about these things constantly, not just in a few scattered poems. He even has a pro-life poem.
But does he cast into doubt his poetry's status as Catholic Poetry, in y'all's opinion, by his public dissent from the Magisterium on some of the big politicized issues du jour (women's ordination, maybe gay marriage too)?
In broader terms, is a Catholic poet's art suspect when they publicly dissent in this way? And if so, how suspect are we talking? What does it do to us as Catholic readers? And as Catholic writers reading?
Personally I think that while some of Wright's stances are definitely unfortunate, it's not like he's rejecting any of the Church's teachings on the natures of Christ, the Triune Godhead, the authority of the pope, the Virgin Birth, the Assumption of the Theotokos, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and so on. So, when I read his poetry, I feel I can approach it more or less with my guard down, open to spiritual and artistic "edification," to use an old term. Perhaps this is because he writes about things like the Redemption, and not about how he thinks women should be priests (what boring poems those would be...).
I'm genuinely interested in what people think here, though I don't know any of you, as this is one of the only (the only?) online "communities" of Catholic writers and readers of which I'm aware.
