Merton was first introduced to
the writings of the novelist and poet James Joyce through his book Ulysses.
Though this book had been read a few times in his young life, Merton
recalled the impact Portrait of an Artist
had on him.
Originally he had found the
parts on Joyce’s spiritual crisis depressing, but later he was drawn to “the
expertness of the sermon” on hell which “stimulated and edified”[1]
Merton. Through this knowledge of
Joyce’s writings, he found himself “naturally making mental comparisons”[2]
with what Joyce wrote and what the priests taught in mass. Apparently there was more influence on him
than he even realized. He recalled how
“there was something eminently satisfying in the thought that these Catholics
knew what they believed, and knew what to teach, and all taught the same thing,
and taught it with coordination and purpose and great effect.”[3]
It was through this appreciation
of the subject matter that his fascination grew and James Joyce became a
prominent influence on Thomas Merton’s own beliefs in the Catholic life. In fact, years later Merton told a priest
“that reading Joyce had contributed something to [his] conversion.”[4] It certainly helped fuel his interest in the
Jesuits and what they had to offer the faith he was now considering.
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