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This group of letters contains two original letters from Barton to Merton and two carbon copies from Merton to Barton. It is partly a scholarly discussion about "Sir Gawain", Arthurian legend, and Milton; in addition, the two men discuss the current political climate of Vietnam through the lens of literature and mythology.
At the time of writing, Robert Barton was working on a dissertation about "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and had begun as an instructor at Rutgers University.
Please click here for general restrictions concerning Merton's correspondence.
See also published letters from Merton to Barton in The Road to Joy, pp. 356-358.
If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
Click icons for links: ✓="Published | Library Record", ✉="Scanned" | 🗷="Scanned, Viewable Only at Merton Center"
| # | Date | From/To | First Lines | Pub ✓ | Notes |
| | y/m/d | Merton | | Scan ✉ | |
| 1. |
1967/08/07 |
TALS to Merton |
My hope is that you might explain your poem, "Fall '66" which appeared in the New York Review |
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asking source of Latin quote from "Fall '66" article "Arturumque…" / "Why 'green' bearded Arthur" / using Merton's view of Arthur in dissertation on "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and comparisons to Augustine, Gregory, Bonaventura, Richard Rolle / Barton's bio / how he was introduced to Merton's work
«detailed view» |
| 2. |
1967/08/11 |
TL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for your letter. Yes, I think there are probably unconscious resonances of the whole kind of |
✓ |
"Gawain" - one of Merton's favorite poems - "deflation of Feudal pomposity" / source of Latin quote - "Arturumque etiam…" from Milton / Milton and Arthuriad - Arthur and Satan / U.S. government's involvement in Vietnam as "cheap mythology" / "green beard" and "Green man" images
«detailed view» |
| 3. |
1967/08/26 |
TALS to Merton |
Thank you very much for your prompt reply. It was quite encouraging. There has been a hiatus of |
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Arthur's Camelot and Washington [D.C.] / Milton poem "Mansus" and "Jerusalem Conquered" / Arthur and Satan / meaning of Merton's use of "spook collections" / acedia, the noonday demon and Washington
«detailed view» |
| 4. |
1967/09/25 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
One thing I have been meaning to say: if you don't know the poetic work of David Jones, you must |
✓ |
David Jones and Welsh Catholicism / Catholics who are "falling over themselves to push every last relic of the middle ages out the sacristy window" / "spook collections" and "quieting the ancestors" / Calvinism / acedia, the demonium meridianum, and the Pentagon
«detailed view» |
| 5. |
1967/09/25 (#02) |
TLS[x] from Merton |
One thing I have been meaning to say: if you don't know the poetic work of David Jones, you must |
✓ |
David Jones and Welsh Catholicism / Catholics who are "falling over themselves to push every last relic of the middle ages out the sacristy window" / "spook collections" and "quieting the ancestors" / Calvinism / acedia, the demonium meridianum, and the Pentagon
«detailed view» |
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