London: Faber & Gwyer, 1928. Pp. xii + 143; Preface, ix-x. 1
Had I wished to publish a volume of collected literary essays, this book would have been much bigger. The reader may be puzzled to know why I selected these articles and in this order. I wished to indicate certain lines of development, and to disassociate myself from certain conclusions which have been drawn from my volume of essays, The Sacred Wood. 2 To make my present position clear I have three small books in preparation which will not be ready for a considerable time. Meanwhile, I have made bold to unite these occasional essays merely as an indication of what may be expected, and to refute any accusation of playing ’possum. The general point of view may be described as classicist in literature, royalist in politics, and anglo-catholic in religion. I am quite aware that the first term is completely vague, and easily lends itself to clap-trap; I am aware that the second term is at present without definition, and easily lends itself to what is almost worse than clap-trap, I mean temperate conservatism; the third term does not rest with me to define. 3 The uncommon reader who is interested by these scattered papers may possibly be interested by the small volumes which I have in preparation: The School of Donne; The Outline of Royalism; and The Principles of Modern Heresy. 4
I wish to acknowledge my obligation to the editors of The Times Literary Supplement, Theology, The Dial(New York), and The Forum(New York), in which reviews these essays appeared.
t.s.e.
