On Pleasure

In most people, then, the things that are pleasant to them are in conflict with one another, since they are not pleasant by nature, but the things that are pleasant to those who are passionately devoted to what is beautiful are the things that are pleasant by nature, and of this sort are actions in accordance with virtue . . . So the life these people lead has no additional need of pleasure as a sort of appendage, but has its pleasure in itself. -Aristotle


I love that bit about pleasure not being an appendage, that it should belong to the things that one pursues. We often think of virtue as a struggle, which it is, but this does not preclude it being beautiful, as well. And I do think that we appreciate things more when we have to struggle for them--not that a struggle makes things beautiful, but that it helps us to recognize their beauty.
'til next time . . .

on beauty

To what serves moral beauty '-dangerous; does set dancing blood - the O-seal-that-so ' feature, flung prouder form
Than Purcell tune lets tread to? 'See: it does this: keeps warm
Men's wits to the things that are; 'what good means-where a glance
Master more may than gaze 'gaze out of countenance.
Those lovely lads once, wet-fresh 'windfalls of war's storm,
How then should Gregory, a fater, 'have gleaned else from swarm-
ed Rome? But God a nation 'dealt that day's dear chance.
To man, that needs would worship 'block or barren stone,
Our law says: Love what are 'love's worthiest, were all known;
What do then? how meet beauty? 'Merely meet it; own
Home at heart, heaven's sweet gift; 'then leave, let that alone.
Yea, wish that though, wish all, 'God's better beauty, grace.


-Hopkins

faith & fiction

flannery o'connor writes repeatedly that the first job of a writer--or any artist--must be to tell a story.  tolkien makes it eminently clear in his forward to  Lord of the Rings that he is writing not an allegory or a fable or anything else other than a story.  to Christians, especially Catholics, the imagination of such writers clearly has a sacramental formation.  to others, though, they are primarily stories, and we do any work of fiction a disservice when we begin to moralize, instead of enjoy.  art cannot "teach," anyway, if it does not first entertain.