Masculinity in the 21st Century: Joseph Pearce’s Great Books for Good Men 

Masculinity in the 21st Century: Joseph Pearce’s Great Books for Good Men 

By Stephen Rule, Intern

The danger of standardization by a low standard seems to me to be the chief danger confronting us on the artistic and cultural side and generally on the intellectual side at the moment.
—G.K. Chesterton

Over the past few years, Joseph Pearce has been one of my absolute favorite contemporary writers. Whether it’s his biography of Chesterton, Wisdom and Innocence, or his history of Catholic England, Faith of Our Fathers, Pearce has been able to capture my attention and enrich my moral imagination through his books. 

How can we understand what it means to be a good man in the twenty-first century?

Pearce offers us a look at how we might answer such a question through his short yet profound literary reflections. This book consists of forty-eight reflections on poems and novels that can inspire Catholic men to grow in holiness and pursue a life of virtue. 

Starting with a delightful passage from the “General Prologue” of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and ending with insights on Tolkien’s tales of Middle-earth, Pearce offers Catholic men inspiring reflections throughout this short yet powerful book. 

The content of this book comes from a series of reflections that Mr. Pearce wrote originally for Exodus 90, a 90-day Catholic spiritual program for men. Regardless of whether a man has taken on this spiritual retreat before, these reflections are certainly worth prayerful consideration. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find some of my favorite poems being discussed in this book, such as Gerard Manley Hopkins’ “God’s Grandeur” and Francis Thompson’s “The Hound of Heaven.” But it was actually the works that I had no previous knowledge of that had the most edifying reflections, such as Hilaire Belloc’s poem “Twelfth Night.” Pearce gives us great insight through an allusion to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia:

“It might be harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, as Jesus tells us (Mt 19:24), but it is harder still for one who lacks childlike wonder to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for a child to walk through the door of a magical wardrobe.” (44)  

One does not need to have any familiarity with these great works of literature in order to benefit from Pearce’s tremendous insight, as he provides each reflection with the necessary background information for understanding the narrative of these stories while also inspiring us to pick up these works once we have done so. 

Pearce also gave us some reflections on longer works which have shaped the great conversation of the West. In the chapter covering Homer’s Iliad, Pearce explains that “The lesson that Homer teaches is clear enough. Manhood is not merely about physical strength. A great warrior is not necessarily a great man. Greatness is connected to the practice of virtue” (52). 

About Homer’s Odyssey and the epic poem’s protagonist, Odysseus, Pearce writes, “Each of us is homo viator and homo superbus. We are pilgrim men, but we are also proud men. We are called to go on the pilgrimage of life, but we are tempted to refuse the sacrifices that the pilgrimage demands” (53).

Speaking on Dante in his great Divine Comedy, Pearce explains that Dante’s journey is “mystically united to the suffering, death, and REsurrection of Christ in his own journey from the dark wood of sin to the presence of God in paradise. His journey is ours. His assent is the assent that we need to give. His ascent, aided by the intercession of the saints, is the way to heaven” (63).

Pearce moves on to a reflection on Chesterton that is reminiscent of Wisdom and Innocence, a book that I found edifying and delightful. In the chapter on Chesterton’s The Ball and the Cross, Pearce beautifully states that, “In our increasingly angry and uncharitable days, we should guard ourselves against the anger and lack of charity that we see all around us. Most of us cannot succumb to anger without the risk of becoming uncharitable” (74).

Closing out this short work, Part Four offers reflections on the Catholicity of J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-earth, most especially The Lord of the Rings. Many Catholics adore Tolkien’s books and the impact that his Catholic faith had on his stories cannot be overstated. Pearce draws our attention to the fact that Tolkien even said that “The Lord of the Rings is, of course, a fundamentally religious and Catholic work” (127). 

Through each reflection, Pearce lays out the goodness, truth, and beauty of the best of literature in Western civilization, all of which take part in the great conversation which is vital for the truly Catholic life. This book is a must-read for any Catholic man with a love for great literature. Those familiar with Pearce’s other works will not be disappointed. 

Learn more about author, publisher, editor, & instructor Joseph Pearce at his website here. Purchase Great Books for Good Men and other works by Pearce from Ignatius Press here.

Don’t miss a future episode of A Resounding Yes! featuring Joseph Pearce himself! Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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Stephen was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a recent convert to the Catholic faith, which came about through reading the Doctors of the Church, particularly the writings of St. Augustine and St. Thérèse of Lisieux. He is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio. Stephen has a great love for reading, writing, and creating music and has a passion for using his gifts to share the faith with others.