The Catholic Spirit In Modern Poetry

Author

• Anna Marie Lacaze, Xavier University of Louisiana

Date of Award

1932

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Keywords

Catholic Poetry, Oxford Movement, John Henry Newman, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Coventry Patmore, Francis Thompson, Alice Meynell, Modern English Poetry, Religious Literature, Catholic Literary Revival

Abstract

This thesis, submitted to Xavier University in partial fulfillment of requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education in 1932, traces the revival of Catholic spirit in modern English poetry following its suppression after the Protestant Reformation. Lacaze argues that this revival began with the Oxford Movement of the nineteenth century and its leader, John Henry Newman, whose conversion to Catholicism and subsequent writing exercised a lasting influence on English literary and religious culture.

The thesis opens with an account of Newman's life, his role in the Oxford Movement, his 1845 conversion, and his major prose works, including "Apologia Pro Vita Sua" and "The Idea of a University," before turning to his poetry, particularly "The Dream of Gerontius" and "Lead, Kindly Light." Lacaze then surveys a series of poets identified as heirs to Newman's influence: Gerard Manley Hopkins, whose conversion and poetic sensibility are traced through his friendship with Newman; Coventry Patmore, whose poetry on married love, particularly "The Angel in the House," is presented as distinctly Catholic in its treatment of marriage as a path to the divine; Francis Thompson, whose "The Hound of Heaven" is discussed as a central expression of the soul's pursuit by God; Alice Meynell, noted for the restraint and spirituality of her verse; Padriac Colum, whose Irish Catholic identity shapes his imagery; and Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, and Alfred Noyes, each presented as continuing the Catholic literary tradition in the twentieth century. The thesis concludes that this succession of poets demonstrates the steady ascent of Catholic literary spirit from persecution to renewed prominence in modern English letters.

Note: No original abstract was included; this abstract is provided by the XULA Digital Commons editors.

Recommended Citation

Lacaze, Anna Marie, "The Catholic Spirit In Modern Poetry" (1932). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 106.
https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/etd/106