Introductory remarks on the importance of orthodoxy -- On the negative spirit -- On Mr. Rudyard Kipling and making the world small -- Mr. Bernard Shaw -- Mr. H.G. Wells and the giants -- Christmas and the aesthetes -- Omar and the sacred vine -- The mildness of the yellow press -- The moods of Mr. George Moore -- On sandals and simplicity -- Science and the savages -- Paganism and Mr. Lowes Dickinson -- Celts and celtophiles -- On certain modern writers and the institution of the family -- On smart novelists and the smart set -- On Mr. McCabe and a divine frivolity -- On the wit of Whistler...

A novel sometimes referred to as a metaphysical thriller. Show Excerpt "Is he really an anarchist, then?" she asked. "Only in that sense I speak of," replied Syme; "or if you prefer it, in that nonsense." She drew her broad brows together and said abruptly-- "He wouldn't really use--bombs or that sort of thing?" Syme broke into a great laugh, that seemed too large for his slight and somewhat dandified figure. "Good Lord, no " he said, "that has to be done anonymously." And at that the corners of her own mouth broke into a smile, and she thought with a simultaneous pleasure of Gregory's...

We need to be happy in this wonderland without once being merely comfortable. It is THIS achievement of my creed that I shall chiefly pursue in these pages. But I have a peculiar reason for mentioning the man in a yacht, who discovered England. For I am that man in a yacht. I discovered England. I do not see how this book can avoid being egotistical; and I do not quite see (to tell the truth) how it can avoid being dull. Dulness will, however, free me from the charge which I most lament; the charge of being flippant. Mere light sophistry is the thing that I happen to despise most of all...

Excerpt from the Dedication: A book of modern social inquiry has a shape that is somewhat sharply defined. It begins as a rule with an analysis, with statistics, tables of population, decrease of crime among Congregationalists, growth of hysteria among policemen, and similar ascertained facts; it ends with a chapter that is generally called "The Remedy." It is almost wholly due to this careful, solid, and scientific method that "The Remedy" is never found. For this scheme of medical question and answer is a blunder; the first great blunder of sociology. It is always called stating the disease...

Manalive (1912) is a book by G. K. Chesterton detailing a popular theme both in his own philosophy, and in Christianity, of the "holy fool," such as in Dostoevsky's The Idiot and Cervantes' Don Quixote. Perhaps the most light-hearted of all Chesterton's "serious" works, Manalive pits a group of disillusioned young people against Mr. Innocent Smith, a bubbly, high-spirited gentleman who literally falls into their midst. Later accused of murder and denounced for philandering everywhere he goes, Smith prompts his newfound acquaintances to recognize an important idea in most unexpected ways.

From The Man Who Was Thursday ""Moderate strength is shown in violence; supreme strength is shown in levity."" ""The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all."" ""There is your precious

Chesterton portrays Father Brown as a stumpy Roman Catholic priest, with shapeless clothes, a large umbrella, and an uncanny insight into human nature. His ability to uncover the truth behind the mystery continually surpasses that of the people around him, who are fooled by his unimpressive outward appearance. He explains his detective approach in these mystery stories as follows: "You see, I had murdered them all myself.... I had planned out each of the crimes very carefully. I had thought out exactly how a thing like that could be done, and in what style or state of mind a man could really...