Glossolalia - Manmade or God-given?

This book, which unfortunately I am unable to provide any link for as it remains an unpublished and thus publicly unavailable work, is the undergraduate dissertation of Andrew Stovell - my father. It's a dispassionate and rigorous study of the phenomenon of glossolalia, more commonly known as "speaking in tongues", from both a biblically-considered and linguistic pair of angles. I've just read the whole thing in one sitting as I stumbled upon a chapter in another book about this and my mum mentioned "oh, dad wrote his thesis on that!" so I gave it an appropriate detour.

   It's a really interesting read. The first part lays out a groundwork for what glossolalia is, how it is portrayed and discussed in the Bible to start with, then briefly looking at how it has manifested throughout history, leading up to contemporary practices in charismatic churches. The second part is a literature review of other linguists' studies into the phenomenon, which deftly summarises the scant but deep insights of other academic perspectives, most of which this thesis's author largely supports in his argumentation. The third and final part comprises an in-depth phonetical and phonological analysis of ten recorded (and meticulously transcribed using the International Phonetic Alphabet in the lengthy appendix) examples of actual purported glossolalia, with some reflections as to the nature of these and what that implies as to whether they can be understood as language at all.

   Ultimately my dad concludes that the biblical accounts of "speaking in tongues" are quite clearly talking about "xenoglossia" (speaking a different real language) rather than "glossolalia" (speaking incomprehensible *possibly angelic* languages) and all scholarly analysis of modern such speakers drives to the point where we cannot confirm these instances to be of any real human language; indeed he goes further to point out that examples of glossolalia are very often characterised by frequent repetition of simple phonemes with no clear syntactical or grammatical logics at play, and thus even if we are to understand these utterances as divinely-inspired language of some form, it is odd to note that those divine languages must be overwhelmingly composed of the sounds babbling toddlers are wont to make. Which is to say, the actual spiritual gift of speaking in tongues is biblically historical and useful, whereas given the evidence we probably have to admit that the modern phenomenon of it is conversely essentially gobbledegook.

   If your curiosity is so piqued by this post that you actually want to read this, and if you do have a linguistic interest in the veracity of speaking in tongues I would recommend this as a resource certainly, but as I mentioned it's not published anywhere so if you find yourself desperate drop me a comment and I'll ask my dad whether we can scan it into a more easily distributable .pdf or something.

On Fairy-Stories

This book (available free online from that link) is a long essay, well - originally lecture, by J.R.R. Tolkien, regarding the fairy story and fantastical fiction in general. It is widely known as a key touchstone for thinkers in and around the genre on how to do it well, and as I am currently working on my own series of fantasy novels (as well as being generally interested in how the father of the modern genre approached it) I thought it would be well worth a read* - and I was not disappointed. Tolkien begins with a broad attempt to define the fairy story, before delving into the historical and cultural origins of the genre; he then considers the stereotypical association of the fairy story as being intended for and only enjoyable by children (a proposition he roundly rejects) and then goes on to develop a definitional theory of what precisely "fantasy" is - this is the meatiest part of the whole essay - as being a genre that should ideally provide recovery, escape, and consolation (it is in this part that he coins the term "eucatastrophe" to describe the inexplicable, unpredictable, yet inevitable happy ending of all true fairy stories***), and finally concluding with a statement about art's essential nature to human flourishing under God in consideration of our relationship to truth and imagination. This is a deeply stimulating essay, and whether you're active in writing fantasy yourself or you're simply an enjoyer of the genre who wants to take a thorough stare at the nuts and bolts of what makes it so vibrant and long-enduring as a form of human expression, you will find a great deal of food for thought here. Well worth a read - especially if you're a fan of Tolkien's fictional works, as this essentially provides the manifesto statement of how he approached all of his writings of the fantastical ilk.

* Although if you're interested in the ideas talked about in this post but don't have the attention span to read a forty-page essay,** assuming you still have the attention span to watch a forty-minute video essay, Jess of the Shire has you covered.

** In which case, what the heck are you doing on this blog?

*** Key example in point - at the culmination of The Lord of the Rings (spoiler alert), the ring is destroyed not by intent but by accident: Frodo caves to its power at the very last step of his journey, and Middle-earth is saved only by Gollum slipping into the lava having bitten off poor Mr. Baggins's finger to finally reclaim his precious. Textbook eucatastrophe.

Garden of Madness

This book is a collection of poetry by Pete Bearder (author of this book about spoken word generally). I picked it up on the solstice when I saw him live at The Shakespeares doing very cool things with a loop pedal, and have just finished reading it in one sitting. It's difficult to give justice to these poems in a coherent summary - they are largely consistent in style and tone, all somewhat existential, dealing with humans as conscious embodied creatures and the myriad confusions and convictions that come with that. Bearder delves into dark depths of psychology and glimmering heights of spirituality that all seem to knit together into the same, single tapestry of - well, the title. Knowing his gifts as a performer I know full well that I would have enjoyed this collection immeasurably more had I heard Pete himself performing all of them live, but even on the page these poems jostle indignantly and thump their way from page to brain before once more evaporating into nowhere, but leaving you with a distinct moistness that knows the fog that had been just then settled upon your mind. Big ideas but not distractingly philosophical or overly verbose; grand humanity but never obsequiously sentimental. Any enjoyer of poetry will get a lot out of this, I think.

the Journal of George Fox

This book* by George Fox** is easily the most inspirational autobiographical work I've ever read. The title is somewhat misleading, as it isn't exactly a journal, being recorded day-to-day over his lifetime, but a dictated & transcribed recount of several decades of his life towards the end of it - but it's just as comprehensively thorough as you might expect of a daily journal nonetheless. It's also remarkable as a historical account of the origins of Quakerism direct from the mouth of the man most responsible for it*** which is cool; and the events described herein overlapping with the ongoing radical Reformation, the English civil war, the reign of Oliver Cromwell coming into being then giving way back to Charles II, it's just a fascinating collection of snapshots of views from the foothills in that outrageously turbulent period in English (even Western, as America was still a devoted colony of the motherland at that time) history. Of course, it's also an incredibly spiritually & religiously charged book, testifying with no hesitation that George Fox was a man of deep, astute & indefatigable faith, conscience & honesty, whose life & perspective & deeds & sufferings bear great witness to modern Christian challenges that still reverberate today.

   If you just want a solid picture of his biography, Wikipedia is probably a better bet than this book (as I say, having not read the Wikipedia page) but if you want a raw, throbbing self-portrait of the man's outlook & how it shaped his activity, this book is indispensably the answer to that itch. The "journal" includes full transcripts of many of Fox's letters, both personal & more general epistles to the communities of Friends, which add a great deal of colour & texture to the account.

   George Fox was born in 1624 & the earliest chapter of this account records his most sorrowful experiences of being a youth in love with God amongst a generation of wanton drunken sinners. His spiritual isolation was driven home by the reality of living within the radical age of the Protestant Reformation - while the Church of England was hegemonic, there were constant interruptions from the Independents, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, even the odd Papist who hadn't been burnt at the stake yet. Fox wandered lonely for his adolescence until he heard the word of God comfort him thus; "there is one, even Christ Jesus, who can speak to your condition." And despite being uneducated (except for a familial devotion to the Bible) Fox came to see the true meaning of the outpourings of the Holy Spirit - accessible to all men, regardless of mediation by any church. As he puts it, "Christ has come himself to teach his people."

   Then proceeds the itinerant lifestyle as a preacher (all over Great Britain, then briefly Ireland, then either as an afterthought or a climax, even America via the Caribbean**** & finally Europe): for most of its runtime, the Journal reads much like the gospel of Mark - i.e. starting most sentences with "And" because so much is happening one thing after another - having meetings & making Friends***** -we get phrases like "the power of God came over all" or "many came into the Truth" (or variations thereupon) repeated dozens if not hundreds of times throughout. It actually gets quite repetitive. Fox would go to a new county/town - speak the word of the Light - be encouraged by newcomers under the Truth - be threatened by "rude" people who wanted to beat him up & escaped (remember Jesus' saying, to "turn the other cheek"? Fox took this quite literally, and when threatened with violence would do so, often simply scaring away his attackers in confoundment) - get charged with something by the legal authorities - get tried & acquitted, or jailed & later released - repeat. I mean it, this goes on for like 400 pages at least. The bulk of the reasons for his persecution (and it was a persecution for all the Quakers - many thousands were imprisoned and/or martyred for similar reasons) lay with issues around hats (aye, it was an Obligatory Protocol thing in the 17th century), pronouns****** & oaths (which, following Christ's teaching, he refused to swear, even in court). I actually learnt a couple of new words from all this back-and-forth persecution & propheticism - mittimus (which Fox's religious eloquence often helped him avoid outright) & praemunire (which he was often tried with & at least twice badly jailed for - the "foreign authority" to whom he appealed being the Kingdom of Christ). Fox was as prolific a preacher as he was predictable a victim of persecution. Make of that what you will.

   George Fox died in January 1691 of unknown, but natural, causes; his last words were "I am clear. I am fully clear." Paul wrote "imitate me, as I imitate Christ" (1st Corinthians 11: 1) - and I think not necessarily singularly but certainly notably George Fox took this to heart more than the vast majority of any Christian since the original apostles & followed it to its ultimate logical conclusion, living a persecuted, troubled, practically homeless & demonstrably jobless (it is not properly explained in the text but I would be intrigued to know where he kept getting enough money from*******) life, to the glory of God. What a man to learn from - which is saying something, given that he was so prolific a writer of tracts & pamphlets & entire books that are tragically lost to history, but we still get so much of his essence from this rough journal. So, this book. Fundamental reading for Quakers; recommended reading for Christians of any other stripe; interesting & challenging reading for all others.

* Not sure about the version I've linked here, but the edition I read includes an introduction by Geoffrey Nuttall, extracts from William Penn's preface, and for the latter years of Fox's life not covered in this autobiographical account the original summary by Thomas Ellwood as well as a more in-depth coverage by Henry Cadbury. All good stuff - but not as meaty as the main text, so you're not missing too much by getting the copy linked.

** Okay, he technically dictated it to a fellow Quaker toward the latter end of his eyesight & life, which is fair enough, but it's his words on the page.

*** Admittedly a number of others, most notably Margaret Fell (who was the financial & organisational backbone, and being widowed, later in 1669 became Fox's wife) & James Nayler (who provided much of the more radical inspiration for action, occasionally to Fox's admonishments) were instrumental in the origination of Quakerism, and both recur as side-characters throughout this journal; but Fox was the spiritual & ideological foundation for the impetus of the movement that became the Quaker interpretation of Christianity, I hope nobody would disagree.

**** The passage recounting their voyage across the Atlantic (recorded by one John Hull; Fox himself was extremely ill during this) is fascinating. Though far from the first thing I would ask him in the New Jerusalem, I would like to query of ol' George exactly what dolphin tastes like. During the journey there was apparently also a shipboard Friend who fasted & stayed awake for a full week, which is impressively unhealthy. Modern readers may also be interested to learn the difference between a sloop & a ketch. The references to the black slave population in these parts, while minimal, are also interesting seeds of Quakerism's later commitment to abolition. Also, in Fox's limited but generous interactions with Native Americans, it is noted that the Indian chief thinks Quakerism to be the best religion of the colonists that he has yet met, which is cool.

***** "Quakers" originated as an external derogatory term for people who called themselves & each other simply "Friends" - as Fox does throughout this account.

****** Of course, this being the 17th century, not the same pronouns issue which is ravaging Christendom today - Fox & his followers simply chose to refer to everyone using the informal "thee" & "thou", which was interpreted (not culturally wrongly, but spiritually hypocritically) as disrespectful to people in any degree of authority. It's fun to speculate how Fox would respond to today's pronouns debacle; I'm not confident I could predict which side of the aisle he would land in, but no doubt he would have a strongly-worded, powerfully-reasoned scriptural basis for wherever that was.

******* Henry Cadbury notes in the section covering Fox's latter years: "The sources of his capital are not known. Not only his wife's money, but that inherited from his parents, he seems to have left untouched." The Lord provides, I guess?

the Corporation

This book by legal scholar Joel Bakan is a ruthless & rigorous analysis of the corporation, the institution that has more & shadier power than perhaps any other in our neoliberal status quo. In chapter one he uncovers its history & how it became what it is today, in chapters two & three he assesses the nature & implications of its pathological character, in chapters four & five he looks at the mechanisms by which it exercises control of society, and in the final chapter he considers ways we can challenge & curb its power & prevent further harm.

   This is a very readable book, academic & well-referenced but light on jargon; it's not an easy read though, as the blunt truth of the corporation's nature & power is difficult to stomach. Corporations are not merely incidental in their evil dealings toward the maximisation of profit; they are legally-obligated to behave thus - behaviours which in a regular human would qualify them as a psychopath, but are rewarded, indeed mandated, in these gross institutions. I would highly recommend this as a book for anyone remotely interested in contemporary political power & the corporate challenges it faces.