"Just who do you think you are - my mother?!"
katie__pillar and I finally went to see Howard Brenton's In Extremis at the Globe last night (in the rain and yes, of course, we were groundling it). I've been waiting to see this play for ages, as I managed to miss it last year. It was *brilliant* - funny and clever in that best way possible. I loved Bernard of Clairvaux's utter looniness, but also his absolute belief that he was right (and blimey the monks at Clairvaux! One chap comes out, shows two visitors a nail through his hand, and says he hopes Jesus will be pleased!). And LOL at the nun who had watched Heloise and Abelard on the altar at the convent telling the other nuns what they had been doing (there were reenactments - comedy gold). And *shudders* at the whole castration thing (I hid behind Katie). And it was so sad when Bernard came to reconcile with Abelard (oh, I also loved the cycnicism that they all had for Bernard and his 'life story'), and Abelard tried to make him see that what they had both taught didn't matter, it was enough that they had tried to do good, and couldn't Bernard see that (he couldn't). Bernard accused Abelard of having no faith left in his humanity; Abelard replied that Bernard had no humanity in his faith.
The one thing that struck me as interesting, actually, was that Abelard's use of Aristotle's texts as a platform for exploring theology was seen as dangerous and wrong la la la and Bernard's mysticism was seen as, for many, more acceptable. And yet Aristotelian scholasticism became the Church's method of teaching for centuries, until it in turn became restrictive and out of date, trying to curtail scientific endeavour. It's actually a fascinating perspective on human nature. The old school (as exemplified by William of Champeaux, Abelard's teacher), believed in the usual you cannot know God or his works; humans are not built to understand it; you shouldn't enquire too closely; a desire for knowledge is merely personal vanity - Abelard didn't believe this, he believed that you *could* know; that God must have made humans so that they could know. Logic and reason were the ways forward. Fast forward five hundred years, and the situation is *exactly* the same, only scholasticism has become the entrenched repressor, and modern science has taken over as the voice of reason.
New ideas are formed all the time, and when they are good ideas we can eventually listen and make them part of our lives. But we cannot trust ourselves to remain open. We cannot trust the authorities which govern us to remain flexible, or even to remain true to the ideas they have accepted, instead reverting to old behaviours, while the new ideas are moulded so that they agree with the old ones. We can't bend to every new theory that comes along, perhaps, but maybe it is sensible to keep an eye open and make sure that we aren't becoming more hidebound that necessary.
Anyway, yes, the Globe rules. I love it. It's such a wonderful atmosphere to have in a theatre, so much more engaging than the usual theatres. Genius. I would encourage people to see In Extremis but, hmm, we saw the last performance. But hey, if it ever comes you way, go and see it!
Katie and I got v damp, and v tired, and were v v giggly. As usual, in fact. Ah, the PF. It is yea verily the home of mirth. Now we are off to Hammersmith for to do some shopping.
Ooh, and we had a genius, genius badge idea. We rock.
And we have appliances fitted in FT. Lovely. The gas man very helpfully showed us How To Turn The Cooker On. And also How To Turn A Hob On. We were grateful.
I have painted my fourth wall. *g*
The one thing that struck me as interesting, actually, was that Abelard's use of Aristotle's texts as a platform for exploring theology was seen as dangerous and wrong la la la and Bernard's mysticism was seen as, for many, more acceptable. And yet Aristotelian scholasticism became the Church's method of teaching for centuries, until it in turn became restrictive and out of date, trying to curtail scientific endeavour. It's actually a fascinating perspective on human nature. The old school (as exemplified by William of Champeaux, Abelard's teacher), believed in the usual you cannot know God or his works; humans are not built to understand it; you shouldn't enquire too closely; a desire for knowledge is merely personal vanity - Abelard didn't believe this, he believed that you *could* know; that God must have made humans so that they could know. Logic and reason were the ways forward. Fast forward five hundred years, and the situation is *exactly* the same, only scholasticism has become the entrenched repressor, and modern science has taken over as the voice of reason.
New ideas are formed all the time, and when they are good ideas we can eventually listen and make them part of our lives. But we cannot trust ourselves to remain open. We cannot trust the authorities which govern us to remain flexible, or even to remain true to the ideas they have accepted, instead reverting to old behaviours, while the new ideas are moulded so that they agree with the old ones. We can't bend to every new theory that comes along, perhaps, but maybe it is sensible to keep an eye open and make sure that we aren't becoming more hidebound that necessary.
Anyway, yes, the Globe rules. I love it. It's such a wonderful atmosphere to have in a theatre, so much more engaging than the usual theatres. Genius. I would encourage people to see In Extremis but, hmm, we saw the last performance. But hey, if it ever comes you way, go and see it!
Katie and I got v damp, and v tired, and were v v giggly. As usual, in fact. Ah, the PF. It is yea verily the home of mirth. Now we are off to Hammersmith for to do some shopping.
Ooh, and we had a genius, genius badge idea. We rock.
And we have appliances fitted in FT. Lovely. The gas man very helpfully showed us How To Turn The Cooker On. And also How To Turn A Hob On. We were grateful.
I have painted my fourth wall. *g*