“[The family] is wholesome precisely because it contains so many…”

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[The family] is wholesome precisely because it contains so many divergencies and varieties. It is, as the sentimentalists say, like a little kingdom, and, like most other little kingdoms, is generally in a state of something resembling anarchy.

Heretics

by G.K. Chesterton · published 1905 · read 2021-06-03

★★★☆☆

Chesterton is an utter bastard, and enjoying himself while he's at it. As a result, I enjoyed myself, too: He's unrepentant in how conservative he is, and he likes using a handful of cheap tricks to make himself seem both very clever and very plausible. He's neither as clever nor as plausible as he thinks he is, but if I have to read an opposing viewpoint (and is he ever), I might as well enjoy myself. Though it would have been nice if he hadn't planned his chapters to lead from one witticism to the next – it's a bit obvious and tiring in the long run.