Skip to main content

Bad excuses are worse than none.


The Devil's Kitchen #1, Tasman Peninsula. October 2013.

The Testament of Mary, Colm Tóibín: For those of the Christian faith, I can see how this novel is a provocative work, but me – who accepts the existence of Jesus the historical figure (if not the Son of God) – it is an evocative and memorable depiction of Mary as I understand her: a mother who lost her son to a pretty gruesome end. In a chronological sense, Tóibín sticks close to the Gospels; but rather than the meek, blessed construct of the New Testament, in this reimagining Mary is an angry, solitary older woman still seeking to understand the events that become the narrative of the New Testament and the foundation of Christianity.

As such, she has no interest in collaborating with the authors of the Gospel struggles with the actions and motives of her son’s disciples. The story is familiar, but this work manages to convey a startling intimacy. Given the magnitude of the tale, Tóibín’s book is surprisingly understated and immensely sad. Given the chance to speak, Mary reveals herself to be wholly, gloriously human

In that way, the tragedy of the crucifixion – as an act of torture and execution – really does come to life. Given witness to such brutality, Mary is the archetypal Christian Mother, more an angry woman in a specific time and place driven to mourning and enduring sadness and regret.

I won’t go into too much specifics (read the book), but Mary’s narrative of watching her son turn from a boy into revered godhead is convincing. In this, Christ and his disciples aren’t the polished figures you see in Pre-Raphaelite works of art; instead, they’re awkward, unruly outcasts who get themselves into a whole heap of trouble. You know the tale: a charismatic young man falls in with the wrong crowd and ends up well out of his depth.

To many this will seem immensely blasphemous, but to me The Testament of Mary is anything but. Toibin has a lot of respect for his Mary. Peter and John come in for some criticism, and wouldn't it be natural for her to be a little bit angry about her son’s own role in his fate? Annoyance and disapproval in no way lessens her grief.

Anyway, I liked it a lot. Well worth the small amount of time to read and it will stay with you long after you finish. A-.


The Devil's Kitchen #1, Tasman Peninsula. October 2013.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If you want to be loved, be lovable.

Henry admires the view.
3 comments
Read more

Ah, Joe, you never knew the whole of it...

I still have the robot on the job. Here you can see the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery . And here is a poem: Soliloquy for One Dead Bruce Dawe Ah, no, Joe, you never knew the whole of it, the whistling which is only the wind in the chimney's smoking belly, the footsteps on the muddy path that are always somebody else's. I think of your limbs down there, softly becoming mineral, the life of grasses, and the old love of you thrusts the tears up into my eyes, with the family aware and looking everywhere else. Sometimes when summer is over the land, when the heat quickens the deaf timbers, and birds are thick in the plumbs again, my heart sickens, Joe, calling for the water of your voice and the gone agony of your nearness. I try hard to forget, saying: If God wills, it must be so, because of His goodness, because- but the grasshopper memory leaps in the long thicket, knowing no ease. Ah, Joe, you never knew the whole of it... I like Bruce Dawe. He just my be my favourite Austral
5 comments
Read more

Zeal, n. A certain nervous disorder afflicting the young and inexperienced. A passion that goeth before a sprawl.

Here I have tried my hand at the homemade sepia-toned photo. I wasn’t happy with the way that the sun had washed out some of the colours in the original, so had a bit of a fiddle because I like the look on Henry’s face, and didn’t want to pass on posting it. I have a tip for those of you burdened with the great, unceasing weight of parenthood. I have a new recipe, in the vein of the quick microwaved chocolate cake . Get this, microwaved potato chips . I gave them a run on Sunday, Henry liked the so much I did it again last night. Tonight, I shall be experimenting with sweet potato. I think that the ground is open for me to exploit opportunities in the swede, turnip, carrot and maybe even explore in the area of pumpkins. Radical, I know. I’m a boundary-pusher by nature. It's pretty simple, take the potato. Slice it thinly (it doesn't have to be too thin, but thin enough). Lay the slices on the microwave plate, whack a bit of salt over the top and nuke the buggers for five minut
10 comments
Read more