The Poetry and Theology of RS Thomas - Rev Dr Carys Walsh

Dr Carys Walsh, author of Frequencies of God (2020), introduces the work of Welsh priest, poet, nationalist and mystic R.S. Thomas.
This interview with Rev Dr Mark Laynesmith, Anglican Chaplain at the University of Reading, belongs to the Café Théologique series which aims to bring theological ideas into the public realm.
Further details about Café Théologique can be found here: www.reading.ac....
RS Thomas has been described as "one of the major English language and European poets of the 20th century" and this is an accolade he has done much to earn. His poetry returns continually to the sensed presence and absence of God in the Welsh landscape, its people and the Church.
Carys's book can be found here: canterburypres...
00:01:15. Could you share your personal journey with RS Thomas?
00:02:39. The language of doubt
00:03:26. When did you first come across RS Thomas?
00:04:33. He was famously miserable - did you find that at all off-putting?
00:05:40. Brief intro to your doctorate work
00:06:44. A potted biography - who was RS Thomas?
00:16:12. "The Gap" - how does he use language?
00:25:10. "The Moor" - approaching God through closeness/presence
00:31:36. "Via Negativa" - in contrast, approaching God through absence/distance
00:41:01. "In Context" - he could be a harsh critic of himself
00:49:28. "The Imperatives of the Instincts" - God's reversal of values
00:59:10. Questions from the floor
00:59:49. What's the difference in understanding his work, between a collection of his poems edited by someone else, and the individual books he himself published?
01:03:22. How relevant is Thomas' poetry to our current context?
01:06:17. Did he write in Welsh? And was any of his prose published?
01:08:32. You mentioned that doubt is a motivating factor for Thomas , but it seems from the poems you selected that he does actually explore ways to God. Would this be representative of his wider work?
01:10:56. When did he reach his most prolific period in his writing (was that in Aberdaron?), and what is your sense of why?
01:14:29. Can you tell us something about his personal writing discipline, please?
01:17:38. How much would his parishioners be aware of who he was?
01:18:48. Comment - In Context reminded me of Etty Hillesum’s words: “… there doesn’t seem to be much you yourself can do about our circumstances, about our lives. Neither do I hold you responsible. You cannot help us, but we must help You and defend Your dwelling place inside us to the last.”
01:19:04. Where he lived looked across to Bardsey Island can you say a little about the landscape he looked on to?
01:20:41. To what extent do you think the distinctly Welsh landscape influenced his poetry say compared to Thomas Hardy's Wessex or The Bronties Yorkshire?
01:21:37. How much do you think his spirituality was shaped by the sea?
01:22:41. You said he wasn't really interested in love (and to ask his wife), but poems like 'A Marriage' are simply breathtaking. Was he just pretending not to be interested?
01:25:28. Do you think the absence and presence of God emphasised in some of his poems might express a panentheistic theology that poses the question ‘Where is God not?’
01:27:38. Suggested books for further reading
Café Théologique hosts popular lectures and discussions on theology and is hosted by the University of Reading Chaplaincy.

[@HienBui-vg8mq]

Character In the video It's great, I like it a lot $$

[@phraalanjames6184]

I resent, very strongly, that I am being 'lectured at' by Rev Dr Carys Walsh. Poetry, like music, is a very personal thing. R.S. Thomas has been my favourite poet for the last 45 years. Although I was brought up as a Londoner, I lived in Wales for 8 years and was married to a Welsh lady. I spent 2 years studying in Harlech in North Wales. My tutor there was himself a published Anglo-Welsh poet who knew R.S.Thomas. He introduced me to the work of the late poet. I also lived in Swansea for 6 years; 4 of them spent studying philosophy. I was very active in Welsh University life: Thus feel I have a sound basis for my own understanding of Wales. For the last 32 years I have been living in S.E.Asia; and am a Buddhist monk. But Dr Carys Walsh is telling me HOW and in what way I SHOULD understand my favourite poet. That is to remove the essence of great art: Dictating how and why I must see poetry on her terms destroys the very purpose and foundation of any great art!

[@metriodshine]

You don't have to listen. They can't take R.S. Thomas away from you. If you have his poems, you can have his words, you aren't obliged to take Carys Walsh's words.

[@QHarefield]

No she is not! She is telling numbskulls like me, who know nothing about R.S., how to begin to enjoy him. Clearly, this is not aimed at those who have long since left these foothills behind and climbed to the rarefied air above. Maybe you should be giving talks of your own rather than sitting with the infants on stools too small for you.

[@trevorbailey1486]

Dear, dear. I hope your apoplexy has resolved. If symptoms persist, do you think a little light verse from Kingsley Amis would help?

[@rodmitchell8576]

Great poet, terrible theologian.

[@fidianaa3533]

Character In the video It's great, I like it a lot $$