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The Discerning Home Educator's avatar

"The feast does not demand that the child eat. It should simply be there – beautiful, nourishing, real – and the child comes to it when they are ready." This is a perfect encapsulation of a Mason principle, Vincent. Thank you for articulating it so well! --Dawn

Vincent Shaw's avatar

I so agree, of all Charlotte's principles, this is the one I identify with the most.

Alexander d’Albini's avatar

I always wonder why some art resonates with the culture, and most does not.

Vincent Shaw's avatar

Romance and beauty will always defeat nihlism and ugliness.

Anna Bendiksen's avatar

These are most heartening words for a Catholic writer to read. Thank you very much, Mr Shaw.

Vincent Shaw's avatar

Hi Anna, you are most welcome. Blessings and best wishes Vincent.

舞原詩音 | Cross‑Cultural Writer's avatar

“The painting was the mirror. The poem was the world.”

That line caught me.

I like how this essay does not simply praise Tennyson or Waterhouse, but asks what happens when beauty becomes too familiar to be seen. There is a quiet sting in that.

And yes, reading the poem aloud does change everything. The Lady does not just drift downriver. The language carries her.

Deer Sabah's avatar

This was brilliant, Vincent; I absolutely adored it. I never knew there was a poem behind the painting! And it's wonderful that Mason left the beauty of Tennyson untarnished for her pupils to enjoy.

Vincent Shaw's avatar

Thanks for your kind words, Deer Sabah, and I think that each is more beautiful when enjoyed in the context of the other.