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"In This House of Brede"
Aug. 15th, 2008 06:40 amAfter putting aside Pride and Prejudice with a sigh of resignation, I picked up In This House of Brede
Interestingly enough, both books focus on societies of women far removed from my own life. But where P&P unfolds in parlors and ballrooms and the occasional meadow path, the "House of Brede" is a convent in England in the late 1960's. I enjoyed the book very much, immersing myself eagerly in the stories of women who withdraw from the world in order to cultivate their souls -- but still remaining very human and falliable.
Neither book goes very deep into the minds and hearts of its characters, but each does a good job of illustrating character through scenes. Brede coverssix or seven twelve to fifteen years, but does so by skipping forward through time, focusing on the occasional important incident or series of events, but keeping those events firmly embedded in the ongoing cycle of the religious hours and calendar.
There is sometimes a tendency to contrast Christians and Pagans by saying that Christians are focused on linear time (from Creation through Apocalypse) while Pagans experience cyclical time: the round of the seasons and the creation/growth/destruction/fallow time of each year. But the nuns of Brede live in cyclical time: each day following the same progression of the Hours, each year unfolding along the path of festivals and observances of the holy seasons.
The worlds of Elizabeth Bennett and Sister Philippa are both extremely limited -- but Philippa chooses that restriction, where Elizabeth is like a fish in water. There is quite a bit about a nun's life that I would not like. . . but if I was told I had to inhabit one world or the other, I'd strongly consider the abbey. There, at least, the women are focused on cultivating mind as well as spirit. However, in Elizabeth's world, I might want to throw up my hands at the silliness of society, but I'd be free to go my own way in private, or perhaps to be known as a bit eccentric, but still have somewhat more freedom than in the abbey.
I think I would have enjoyed this book in any case, but it was particularly interesting coming as it did after my foray into Pride and Prejudice.
ETA: Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bodhibird for the correction on the duration of the story in Brede.
Interestingly enough, both books focus on societies of women far removed from my own life. But where P&P unfolds in parlors and ballrooms and the occasional meadow path, the "House of Brede" is a convent in England in the late 1960's. I enjoyed the book very much, immersing myself eagerly in the stories of women who withdraw from the world in order to cultivate their souls -- but still remaining very human and falliable.
Neither book goes very deep into the minds and hearts of its characters, but each does a good job of illustrating character through scenes. Brede covers
There is sometimes a tendency to contrast Christians and Pagans by saying that Christians are focused on linear time (from Creation through Apocalypse) while Pagans experience cyclical time: the round of the seasons and the creation/growth/destruction/fallow time of each year. But the nuns of Brede live in cyclical time: each day following the same progression of the Hours, each year unfolding along the path of festivals and observances of the holy seasons.
The worlds of Elizabeth Bennett and Sister Philippa are both extremely limited -- but Philippa chooses that restriction, where Elizabeth is like a fish in water. There is quite a bit about a nun's life that I would not like. . . but if I was told I had to inhabit one world or the other, I'd strongly consider the abbey. There, at least, the women are focused on cultivating mind as well as spirit. However, in Elizabeth's world, I might want to throw up my hands at the silliness of society, but I'd be free to go my own way in private, or perhaps to be known as a bit eccentric, but still have somewhat more freedom than in the abbey.
I think I would have enjoyed this book in any case, but it was particularly interesting coming as it did after my foray into Pride and Prejudice.
ETA: Thanks to
bodhibird for the correction on the duration of the story in Brede.
