Overview
Nature was always vital in Thomas Merton's life, from the long hours he spent as a child watching his father paint landscapes in the fresh air, to his final years of solitude in the hermitage at Our Lady of Gethsemani, where he contemplated and wrote about the beauty of his surroundings. Throughout his life, Merton's study of the natural world shaped his spirituality in profound ways, and he was one of the first writers to raise concern about ecological issues that have become critical in recent years. In The Environmental Vision of Thomas Merton, author Monica Weis suggests that Merton's interest in nature, which developed significantly during his years at the Abbey of Gethsemani, laid the foundation for his growing environmental consciousness. Tracing Merton's awareness of the natural world from his childhood to the final years of his life, Weis explores his deepening sense of place and desire for solitude, his love and responsibility for all living things, and his evolving ecological awareness.
Full Product Details
Author: Monica Weis
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
Imprint: The University Press of Kentucky
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 1.50cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.474kg
ISBN: 9780813130040
ISBN 10: 0813130042
Pages: 216
Publication Date: 24 June 2011
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Professional & Vocational
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Awaiting stock
The supplier is currently out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out for you.
Reviews
<p> With her special inroads into his life and his writings, for Merton was a writer long before he was a monk, [Weis] has produced this well researched book giving insight into Merton's love of nature and the natural world. -- Homestead.org --
<p> Making use of both primary and secondary sources, Monica Weis explores the amazing growth of Thomas Merton's ecological consciousness, especially during his 27 years as a monk of Gethsemani in Kentucky. This well-written survey of Merton's appreciation of the natural environment is a welcome addition to a more complete understanding of Thomas Merton's enormous legacy. --Br. Patrick Hart, OCSO, was Thomas Merton's last secretary, and since his death has edited many books by and about Merton --
Author Information
Monica Weis, a Sister of St. Joseph, is professor of English at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. She is the author of Thomas Merton's Gethsemani: Landscapes of Paradise, a nonfiction finalist in the 2005 Kentucky Literary Awards. She lives in Rochester, New York.
