There are a number of places on the world-wide-web where one can learn a few things about Christopher Dawson. Chief among them seems to be the so-called Christopher Dawson Archives, where one can find, amongst other things, a few essays written about Dawson, a few essays written by Dawson, a bibliography covering Dawson’s corpus of published work, as well as a weblog which, unfortunately, is updated rather infrequently. Here one will find a wholly inadequate introduction to Dawson on Wikipedia. There is also this essay from the Christendom Awake website, as well as another from CatholicAuthors.com. Fascinatingly, the Acton Institute’s website lists Dawson among a select group of people (including J.R.R. Tolkien!) as being "in the liberal tradition." On the same site one will also find a brief introduction to Dawson’s life and work. The Gifford Lectures website has a decent introduction to Dawson containing the core insight that his "central concern was to articulate the centrality and dynamism of religion for all cultures, but particularly for European culture." And, lastly, the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture has this to say about Dawson.
Of course, I should not fail to refer my readers to the website of the wonderful Christopher Dawson Collection at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.
Perhaps this more appropriately belongs in your article that talks about Dr. Schwartz, but I post it here to increase the probability that you will read it.
I just finished reading your article “Christopher Dawson on the Catholic Church in the U.S.” in the Aug. ‘07 issue of The Catholic Servant. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would like to see a bit on Dawson’s impressions of the U.S. Perhaps two questions can direct this best.
1. Schwartz states, “(Dawson) felt that his message of trying to promote Catholic America wasn’t going over as well as it should.” Did Schwartz elaborate on this? If not, do you have a guess as to what he meant?
2. Do you have any thoughts on the relationship between Dawson’s vision of America and Murray’s?
Comment by Justin — 8/25/2007 @ 4:41 pm
Thanks for posing the questions, Justin. I’ll have to revisit Murray’s writings before I answer number 2. As for number 1–I’d like to address it at length when I have a bit more time to look over my notes and write.
These are not the answers you’re looking for, I know. But do have a bit of patience with me and with my blog. The school year has begun, and presently I am quite swamped with planning lectures and all that sort of thing.
Stop back soon, my friend. Just not very soon.
Comment by Dan — 9/7/2007 @ 9:22 pm
Dan, I haven’t picked up Dawson since Dr. Boyle’s “Catholic Vision” course…I believe that was six years ago. Encouraged by your blog, I picked up “Religion and Culture” the other day, and I fear (with a joyful fear) that I will never again put Dawson down.
Comment by Ryan Hilderbrand — 10/8/2007 @ 9:50 am