Books:In brief:
Mutkoski, Barbara
He will have us believe that the distin- tale by Thomas in which he was pilloried cept their religion and their nationality. guished novelist Theodor Fontane was for his blood. His...
...I am one of those who like to give German civilization a chance...
...Certainly he was not can Catholics, profiles the lives of sev- upon their country and their church...
...I've Heinrich on the eve of his marriage to had not intended...
...breeze...
...nal, would like to add that Mann is now climate of our own time is shaped by John Deedy's book is not a scholarly and then tiresome...
...Deedy neglects to his temper one day in writing about the blood that flowed in his veins, and so mention that, with the exception of one, Jews to a friend, perhaps he should be flowed in their own...
...Letters c f not more than smart enough to appreciate...
...This is not The Buddenbrooks made plain, "de- in common, in a sense they have everyexactly the truth...
...Deedy, The Thomas More Press, $8.95 have left their mark on our time...
...Anyone who likes the Germans," that made escalated involvement in InStechlin has what he might call more or Nietzsche maintained in one of his dochina and the Vietnam war itself posless a weakness for seeing things from humorous moments, "must hope they sible...
...On his are without question the strongest...
...The have been a secret agent for the CIA...
...It is been appreciated by the best elements of idential campaign of 1928 as strengthentrue," comes his reply, "that Major von the German people...
...come...
...preciate The Blood of the Walsungs, a his subjects have nothing in common exCommonweal: 28...
...As the ideal son-in-law for the wealthy eral charismatic personages who have in- Deedy puts it: ". . . each was significant Munich Jew Alfred Pringsheim...
...of his most colorful chapters, Deedy examine every question from the credits Cardinal William Henry O'Constandpoint of the individual concerned...
...You should was that he was a representative of Ger- tal role, "perhaps even the instrumental put up with him," he is reminded...
...For example, he credits Tom awkward Jewish physician, he is taunted Europe...
...He gives Dubslav-or shall we say art of becoming un-German has always sees Alfred E. Smith's defeat in the presFontane-a glorious opportunity...
...This may not be quite fair to the files are lively and candid...
...His children, the author of "Except...
...ing the spirit of the Irish subculture, Stechlin has a certain philosemitic lean- It has been thirty-three years now since enabling it to survive for another thirty ing, because he can't stand un-Christian the Germans lost the Second World War...
...You fluenced both the Church and America...
...The Catholics he has attempted to outline them...
...lected letters, his memoirs, his villa in Professor Gay feels more at ease with Nassau and his summer home in Thomas Mann, whom he salutes as "a SEVEN AMERICAN CATHOLICS, by John Marblehead, O'Connell and "his type" giant of German and world literature...
...And when I think another has touched the lives of us all...
...nell as having left the church a remarkaAnd frankly, I don't like certain indi- In brief ble legacy...
...If some of his positive that "the Jews aren't really so man who argued in 1886 that "the Jews conjectures are questionable, his argubad as many people believe...
...This remark will grow out of their German habits...
...His proposthumous novel...
...This nobleman is Semite...
...von Stechlin, the leading character in his miss Friedrich Nietzsche as an anti- Deedy's prose is colloquial...
...ments are presented with logic and perdeathbed, when obliged to send for an toughest and purest race now living in suasion...
...I am a Christian, I come from a In sequence, he profiles: Alfred E. good family, and I have accomplished Smith, William Henry O'Connell, Fran- Commonweal welcomes letters on subjects something that these people may be cis Joseph Spellman, Leonard Feeney, treated in its pages...
...individuals who have preceded us, indi- collection of biographical sketches...
...all of his charismatic subjects are of Irish remembered for the creation of Dubslav Incidentally, Gay would like to dis- descent...
...He also suggests that Dooley might the philosemitic side...
...If I have misKatja Pringsheim...
...years, and ultimately making easier John behavior, and above all, stuffy talk about Hasn't the time come, Professor Gay...
...As Deedy states, most of chance c f being published...
...They Your reviewer, who must confess to hav- 204 pp...
...You can't smell any- chosen have not all been "giants" in the sed some, blame it on the fact that sands thing but culture...
...It is a And in a book dedicated to the Jewish viduals who may be nearly forgotten to- candid commentary, told in the vernacuquestion, why is there no word about day...
...For some John Courtney Murray, Dorothy Day, 2 50 or 300 words naturalh• have a better reason Herr Pringsheim failed to ap- Tom Dooley...
...things over from a practical standpoint, I The seven American Catholics chosen BARBARA MUTKOSKI have the impression that I'd be quite wel- by Deedy span a variety of professions...
...Along with O'Connell's colviduals...
...for better or for worse in some special can't really imagine that this is a Jewish Ironically, many of these personages way, and each leaves a footstep or two, home," Thomas advised his brother have affected history in ways which they however faint, on the sands of time...
...Be- man civilization and not of German cul- role" in creating the climate of opinion sides we all know that Major von ture...
...The trouble with Nietzsche Dooley with having played an instrumenby one of the local bigots...
...As giants often are...
...In one principles...
...For example, this new doctor...
...I have no fear of great historical sense, yet "each at one point or can shift with each new stirring of the wealth," he went on...
...While Fontane did lose spised him for his antecedents, for the thing in common...
...John Deedy's book, Seven Ameri- lar, about the influence of seven people Mann on this point...
...to Kennedy's run for the presidency...
...are part of what made Vatican II necesing read every word of Mann in the origi- How much of the political and spiritual sary...
...Having religion and nationality one of those anti-Semites...
Vol. 106 • January 1979 • No. 1
