The Zeal of thy House

Description

Dorothy L. Sayers took her inspiration from a monk's account of the fire of 1174, and the subsequent rebuilding of Canterbury Cathedral Quire. She portrays William of Sens, the chosen architect, as eaten away by pride in his splendid work, unable to give glory to God for his achievement. Enacted in the presence of a group of graciously influential archangels, the play reveals the carelessness of some of the monks, resulting in the terrifying fall that cripples William. His agony brings him to repentance and gratitude before God, and finally to the renunciation of his role, leaving the completion of the rebuilding to others. This edition also comes with an English translation of the Latin texts in the play.

Subjects

• Books
• Savoirs
• Religions

Informations

• Published by: Wipf and Stock Publishers
• Published: 18 July 2011
• Reads: 0
• EAN13: 9781725229167
• Language: English
• Document size: 13 MB

Exrait

Wipf and Stock Publishers 199 W 8th Ave, Suite 3 Eugene, OR 97401 The Zeal of thy House By Sayers, Dorothy L. and Irving, Laurence Copyright©1937 by Sayers, Dorothy L. ISBN 13: 978-1-61097-023-5 Publication date 8/1/2011 Previously published by Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1937

Dedîcaed o e Doroy L. Sayers Socîey a as generousy sponsored e producîon o îs  serîes edîîon

For more înormaîon abou e DLS Socîey pease urn o e as page o îs book

ïnroducîon o e 011 Serîes Edîîon

On e occasîon o e repubîcaîon o some o Doroy Leîg Sayers’ pays, we pay rîbue o a mos remarkabe person: a îer- ary enrepreneur o no mean order, a ay eoogîan în an age wen î was amos unînkabe or a woman o be acknowedged as a eoogîan, a înker wo pîoneered new ways o engagîng audîences wî cenra Crîsîan dogmas as reearsed în e Curc’s creeds. he Ina lowerîng o er work was conneced wî er redîscovery o Dane’sDIvINe COmedY, wîc sîmuaed er o produce some o er Ines work, încudîng e pay se personay oug was er very bes. Se dîd no se ou o be a wrîer o ‘reîgîous’ drama, bu er experîence o îe roug a raumaîc era o European îsory, ogeer wî er specîa aens, made suc drama par o er egacy o us. Born în 1893 a e aî-end o e Vîcorîan era, Doroy was e ony cîd o we-educaed parens. Se was bapîsed în Crîs Curc, Oxord, (Dîocesan Caedra as we as Coege Cape) were er aer, an ordaîned cergyman o e Curc o Engand, was Headmaser o e scoo wîc educaed e boys wo sang în e coîr. ïn 1897 er aer acceped a Crîs Curc îvîng în e ‘Fens’ (draîned, edgeess armand) abou sîxeen mîes rom Cambrîdge, and ogeer wî er moer, a serîes o governesses and a brîe experîence o scoo rom age Iteen, se receîved an exceen educaîon wîc suîed er parîcuar aens. Se emerged îno aduood odîng o a number o srong convîcîons, one o wîc was abou e împorance o vîgorous and cear înkîng and speakîng abou Crîsîan dogma, enîvenîng e rea and varîed exîsences

7

o uman beîngs în a eîr compexîy. Enry o Somervîe Coege, Oxord în 191 paced DLS among a very avoured ew în e Brîaîn o er day, oug prîvîege seered no one rom e mîserîes o Word War 1 as some o er eary pubîsed poery reveas. ïn any even, er ‘Hymn în Conempaîon  o Sudden Dea’ (1916) ranscends îs orîgîns în warîme, oug was o come îno îs own especîay în e appaîng era o aerîa bombîng o cîvîîans în e new orrors o Word War . hîs îs o cenra împorance or e caedra pay wrîen or LîcIed, as we sa see. So ar as Word War ï îs concerned, DLS’ deecîve Icîon relecs someîng o e word o e survîvors and e be- reaved, and we noe ere a se never îsoaed erse rom e socîa and poîîca srugges o er day. Some o er sensîîvîîes are dîspayed în e deveopmen o er porraî o er arîso- craîc seu, Peer Wîmsey. He srugges wî ‘se-sock’ and e memory o avîng ad o gîve orders wîc sen so many o eîr deas, and as a seu e îs responsîbe oo or oer deas în a counry wîc sî enorced capîa punîsmen. A prîorîy or DLS o course was o Ind ways o earnîng er own îvîng, wîs aso negoîaîng a serîes o ove-reaîonsîps amongs e somewa probemaîc seecîon o avaîabe men o er socîa cass and educaîon pos-1918. A man wo was no ‘marrîageabe’ became e aer o er son, er ony cîd, and se sîmpy ad o earn money o suppor Anony, broug up as e was by a rused rîend beore e came o know Doroy as îs bîr-moer raer an as îs ‘adopîve’ moer. ïn 196 DLS marrîed în a Regîsry Oice a dîvorced war-veeran, ‘Mac’, wose cîdren rom îs Irs marrîage dîd no îve wî îm. Lîe was ar rom easy, wa wî e poîîca and economîc egacy o Word War ï o conend wî, and e ack o seer poîîca wî o make canges or e genera good. Few coud vîew e possîbîîy o ye anoer major conlîc wî oer an

1 ïn e seecîon Hone, R.E.(ed)POetRY Of DOROtY L. SàYeRs,Doroy L. Sayers Socîey, Swavesey, Cambrîdge, , pp.-; and în Loades, A. (ed)L. SàYeRs. SpIRItUàl WRItINgs, DOROtY SPCK, London, , pp.-1 rom er Opus .

8

e graves mîsgîvîngs. Ye î became împeraîve o desroy e ‘hîrd Reîc’ wî e consequences or e sape o pos-war Europe emergîng în e aer par o DLS’ îeîme. Se conrîb- ued vîgorousy o e înkîng abou e uure wîc needed o be underaken o brîng abou cange bo or e majorîy o e Brîîs popuaîon and or înernaîona reaîonsîps, no eas ose wî deeaed counrîes. Her deecîve Icîon was by no means a rîvîa dîsracîon rom ese împoran asks, or în î se expressed some o er mos passîonaey ed convîc- îons. For cenra o Crîsîan aî îs unequîvoca commîmen o ru and jusîce, wîou ese beîng îdenîIed as specîIcay Crîsîan în er noves. hus wen on oneymoon wî Harrîe (BUsmàN’s HONeYmOON(1937) se and Peer ogeer ace e ac ey canno pîck and coose, a ey mus ave e ru no maer wo sufers, and a noîng ese maers. hîs wî resu în a dea senence or e murderer, and anoer agonîsîng nîg or Peer as e waîs or e eîg a.m. momen o e execuîon, and wo knows wa consequences or oers învoved, owever margînay. Human jusîce and e pursuî o ru wî never be sîmpe, and e aterma unpredîcabe, ardy ree o ambîguîy and even o a measure o înjusîce. As Peer says, ‘ï ereIsa God or a judgemen – wa nex? Wa ave we done?’ God and judgemen were precîsey o become e ocus o er aenîon wen DLS was caug up îno e orbî o Canerbury Caedra and îs Fesîva o Musîc and Drama. ï was e ‘drama’ o be assocîaed wî e Fesîva wîc made î excepîona or îs day, gîven e ong-sandîng suspîcîon o e pre-Reormaîon radîîons o eare and îurgy amos wîped ou by ceraîn kînds o Proesanîsm. Canerbury ap- pened o ave as îs Dean G.K.A. Be, durîng e perîod wen îs Caper (governîng body) came o înk î was îme o caenge a suspîcîon. Havîng în 197 ounded e Frîends o Canerbury Caedra (an înîîaîve o be oowed în many oer caedras) e ound îmse wî an ay în e person o Margare Babîngon, wo became e Frîends’ Seward e oowîng year. Caper and Frîends made possîbe pays

9

specîay commîssîoned o be perormed on e caedra premîses, conînuîng even ater Be as become Bîsop o  Cîceser în 199. Be remaîns împoran or undersand- îng DLS’ perspecîve on e cos o e Aîed vîcory în Word War ïï sînce e became a passîonae crîîc o some aspecs o e governmen’s conduc o e war as an Epîscopa member o e Upper House o Parîamen (e ‘Lords’). Bo beore and ater Be’s îme as Dean, e pays commîssîoned or Canerbury Caedra were by a very dîs- înguîsed îneage o wrîers, wî T.S. Eîo’sMURdeR IN te CàtedRàl(1935) avîng a mos proound împac, gîven a î was wrîen or e Caedra în wîc homas a` Becke ad been done o dea. ï aso remînded audîences o e possîbî- îy o conînuîng conlîc beween monarc/governmen and bîsop. Foowîng îs own conrîbuîon on homas Cranmer, î was Cares Wîîams no ess wo suggesed DLS as wrîer o a pay or Canerbury, a coîce no necessarîy as surprîsîng as some seem o ave oug. Se ad some experîence o sage perormance and sagecrat rom bo scoo and unîversîy and a brîe experîence o scoo eacîng. Se ad pubîsed a sor ‘poeîc drama’he MOckINg Of CRIstîn er coec- îon oCàtOlIc Tàles àNd CRIstIàN SONgs(1918);BUsmàN’s HONeYmOONad Irs seen e îg o day as a pay or e sage (1936), co-auored wî anoer Somervîîan, wrîer Murîe S Care Byrne, dîsînguîsed îsorîan and wrîer and ecurer a e Roya Coege o Dramaîc Ar, and one o DLS’ vauabe rîends în e earîca word. ï was a sînguar caenge în îse o î on a subjec reevan o Canerbury, and îs DLS rîumpany dîd în coosîng o wrîe abou e rebuîdîng o e Caedra Coîr ater e Ire o 1174, cronîced by a monk, Gervase. hushe Zeàl Of hY HOUsecame îno beîng, Irs perormed beween 1-18 June, , în e Caedra, and on a London sage în Marc 1938.

. Jasper, R.C.D.GeORge Bell: BIsOp Of CIcesteR,OUP, London, . See aso Pîckerîng, K.DRàmà IN te CàtedRàl. he CàNteRbURY FestIvàl PlàYs 1928-1948Curcman Pubîsîng, Worîng, . 10