BROWNING AND DOGMA
LONDON: GEORGE BELL AND SONS
PORTUGAL ST. LINCOLN’S INN, W.C.
CAMBRIDGE: DEIGHTON, BELL & CO.
NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN CO.
BOMBAY: A. H. WHEELER & CO.
BROWNING AND DOGMA
SEVEN LECTURES ON BROWNING’S ATTITUDE
TOWARDS DOGMATIC RELIGION
BY
ETHEL M. NAISH
(FORMERLY SCHOLAR OF NEWNHAM COLLEGE, CAMB. HIST. TRIPOS)
LONDON
GEORGE BELL AND SONS
1906
CONTENTS
SYNOPSIS
| LECTURE I |
| Sources of Browning’s influence as a teacher. |
| Connection between the five poems of the Course. |
| Caliban upon Setebos—Origin of—Criticisms. |
| Characteristics of Caliban. Cf. Caliban of Shakespeare. |
| Analysis of Poem. |
| (i) |
Introductory (ll. 1-23). |
| (ii) |
Conception of Setebos. |
| |
(a) |
Place of abode (ll. 24-25). |
| |
(b) |
Creator of things animate and inanimate (ll. 26-55). |
| |
(c) |
Motives of Creation: self-gratification or wantonness (ll. 55-84, 170-199). |
| |
(d) |
Answer to prayers addressed by his creatures uncertain because result of caprice (ll. 85-97). |
| |
(e) |
Main characteristic—Power, irresponsible and capricious (ll. 98-126, 200-240). |
| (iii) |
“The Quiet” and Caliban’s estimate of evil (ll. 127-141, 246-249). |
| Other lines of thought relating to: |
| A. |
Doctrine of Sacrifice. |
| B. |
A Future Life. |
| C. |
Indirect suggestion of necessity of an Incarnation of the Deity arising from negative conditions ascribed to “the Quiet.” |
| |
| LECTURE II |
| CLEON |
| Cleon. Cf. Caliban: (i) Dramatic change; (ii) point of contact. |
| Greek conception of life—Influences affecting Cleon. |
| Analysis of Poem. |
| I. |
Introductory and descriptive (ll. 1-42). |
| II. |
Varied attainments of Cleon indicative of progress of race through development of complexity of nature (ll. 43-157).
Includes (ll. 115-126) Cleon’s conception of an Incarnation. |
| III. |
Answer to question of Protus, Is death the end to the man of thought as well as to the man of action? (ll. 158-323.) |
| |
Increase of happiness not necessarily accompaniment of fuller knowledge (ll. 181-272). |
| |
Fuller insight, attribute of artist-nature, rather productive of keener sense of loss in face of death (ll. 273-323).
Cf. Old Pictures in Florence, etc. |
| IV. |
Hence arises conception of necessity to man of future life (ll. 323-335.) |
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