By William R. Inge.
Begun 07 Sep 2008; finished 16 Sep.
For the Author A-Z Challenge.
Review written on 18 Dec 2008.
Lay Thoughts of a Dean is a collection of short letters, essays and talks by William Ralph Inge on various non-theological topics. Inge is an English professor of divinity of Cambridge, Anglican priest and theologian who penned the bulk of these essays circa 1910s to 1930s. Topics he discusses range the gamut: from letter writing to and schoolboy pranks; English manners, world-view and etiquette; England’s cultural relationship with America; socialism and Europe’s political climate; musings on the Great War; media and entertainment; and the activities of Christians and the Anglican church. All of which are serious and whimsical to varying degrees, thoughtful and intelligent, yet bite-sized and easy to read.
At this time of writing I don’t remember any of the content of Inge’s essays, save that they provide a fascinating snapshot of the moral and political climate of that first one-third of the 20th century. Inge’s essays are the thoughtful sort that comes from an intellectual and religious person, so they are mixed with rationality and a high moral standard. I largely agree with his thoughts on family and values; I recall not agreeing so much on some of his political stances, especially regarding socialism and the political climate of contemporary Europe — but this could be due to hindsight, after witnessing World War II and its impact. On that note, the impact of the Great War on Inge’s thoughts was profound and is evident in his essays, which were almost all written within a decade of the War’s end. I also enjoyed his essays on lifestyle and language: letter writing, schoolboy pranks, and English metaphors and puns — these were clearly humourous, and a fascinating insight into English culture of that time.
This review is vague on specifics because I don’t remember them. But I definitely enjoyed reading this collection of essays: they were thoughtful, intelligent, and most importantly, gave me a definitive insight into England in the early 20th century, and one cognoscente’s view of the world. Not a bad book to have picked up, considering I needed to fill in letter “I” for the Author A-Z challenge!