Walker Percy: The Last Catholic Novelist (Southern Literary Studies) [Hardcover]

Kieran Quinlan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1996 | Series: Southern Literary Studies

Biography.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: Louisiana State Univ Pr (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807120448
• ISBN-13: 978-0807120446
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,003,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not "The Last Gentleman" but truly "Lost in the Cosmos", September 21, 2004

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This review is from: Walker Percy: The Last Catholic Novelist (Southern Literary Studies) (Paperback)

I too wasted time with this book (money also, unfortunately). I have to agree with the previous reviewer's comments, particularly in not seeing why Quinlan chose to write this sorry book. He lets it slip in a footnote that he was once a seminarian, and I strongly suspect he still has some "issues" regarding the Catholic Church in particular and religious life in general. There is such an obvious bias throughout this book against religious faith that the author ultimately convicts himself rather than Walker Percy, as he attempts to do. While he feigns openness and balance early in the book, soon his condescending, dismissive, and arrogant attitude comes through in ever heavier tones. There is such an angry, bitter undercurrent thoughout the book that it led me to suspect some personal bias, even jealousy, directed at Mr. Percy. Perhaps it is the bitterness of one who has lost his faith towards someone who clearly maintained his throughout his life. And it may be that a faith with the degree of intellectual rigor of Percy's is the most irritating of all. His conclusion is most telling: there can be no more Catholic novelists because "there is no such goal toward which an intellectually informed and honest human being can now aspire."
Quinlan relishes pointing out "the trouble with Walker Percy's faith" and suggests that his appeal in the future will be similar to that of the New Agers, to "some of his less discriminating readers." The tone throughout this book is so persistently against Percy and Catholicism that it is easy to dismiss the author's rantings by the end of the book. Quinlan's lack of true credibility to write this book becomes obvious. While posing as a fellow wayfarer, he reveals himself as a cynical, intellectually arrogant bore. Anyone who has abandoned "the search" should not attempt to evaluate an author like Walker Percy. This, alone, is perhaps the only (inadvertently) positive quality of this book: it is easily dismissed, forgettable, and does not leave any lasting impression on the reader (other than the author's bitterness). Quite the exact opposite of any of Walker Percy's writings.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointment, January 26, 2004

By 

Timothy C. Hall (Milwaukee, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walker Percy: The Last Catholic Novelist (Southern Literary Studies) (Hardcover)

I borrowed this book from the library hoping that it would provide better insight into the mind of the man I call "My Mentor From Beyond the Grave." To the author's credit, he states in the Introduction that he is not a believer in the Catholic faith, but that he hopes he can be considered one of Percy's "wayfarers." Based on what I know of what Percy said about his concept of the wayfarer, Quinlan's hope is in vain.

I don't quite know why Quinlan wrote this book. He seems more concerned with avoiding the opporobrium of his fellow academics than writing an insightful treatment of Percy's life and work. I grew weary of the author's characterization of the Catholic faith as a source of easy answers for people who have need of "structure" in their lives. To put things way over the top, he even "outs" Percy's Uncle (author of "Lanterns on the Levee") on flimsy evidence at best.

I suggest that those who share Percy's convictions on Life's Big Questions look elsewhere for helpful insights into the mind of this extraordinary man, and avoid Quinlan's facile trivialization of religious belief and the quest for Truth.

I'm just glad I didn't spend any money on the book.