The Metaphysical Mysteries of G.K. Chesterton: A Critical Study of the Father Brown Stories and Other Detective Fiction

by Laird R. Blackwell

Overview

G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown stories are widely considered to be some of the finest detective short stories ever published, offering vivid writing, brilliant puzzles, biting social criticism, and metaphysical explorations of life's great questions. This book presents the first in-depth analysis of his works both as classics of the detective genre and as meaningful philosophical inquiries. The Father Brown stories are examined along with Chesterton's less well known fiction, including the short stories about Mr. Pond, Gabriel Gale, Basil and Rupert Grant, Horne Fisher, Dr. Adrian Hyde and Philip Swayne, and the novels The Man Who Was Thursday and Manalive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476671826
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	08/14/2018
Pages:	188
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Laird R. Blackwell is a humanities professor emeritus at Sierra Nevada College in the Lake Tahoe area of western Nevada, where he taught psychology and literature for 31 years. He is the author of four critical studies of detective fiction for McFarland and the recipient of nominations for an Edgar Award and an Agatha Award.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface: All That Mysterious Stuff
Introduction: The Puppet Play of Spirit and Form
One: Preludes to Father Brown
Two: The Innocence of Father Brown (1911):
Rigid Ideology and the Fixed Idea
Three: The Wisdom of Father Brown (1914):
Appearance and Illusion
Four: The Incredulity of Father Brown (1926):
Susceptibility to Belief
Five: The Secret of Father Brown (1927):
The Evil of the Other
Six: The Scandal of Father Brown (1935):
Confident Humility
Seven: Colors Other Than Brown
Eight: Color, Crimes, and Chimeras
Bibliography
Index