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What is a "Romance?"

Jerry Root, in a video talk by the CS Lewis Institute , said that the term Romance was connected with the story of Aeneas, told by Virgil, wherein he longed for Rome.  Thus the term Romance refers to a story that contains the element of longing for home, viz. Rome, in the case of Aeneas. I wonder if the term is that directly connected to this aspect of the life of Aeneas.  I can easily see how it is connected to the motif of longing for home, or for some other longing of the soul.  I did some internet searches on the term Romance , and it is commonly connected with the Romance languages, but no connection is made with any particular story.  For fun, I consulted Chatgpt on the matter.  Here's the conversation: Me: Is the source of the term Romance connected with the story of Aeneas in Virgil's Aeneid? Chatgpt: Yes, the term "Romance" is connected with the story of Aeneas in Virgil's Aeneid. The term "Romance" originally referred to a narrative poem i
Recent posts

Courage in Witness - John 10:22f.

My homily for Evensong at our church, 21 January, 2023.  We need to pray for each other that we may follow our Lord's example to be courageous as we testify to the truth about Him.

Lectio Series - Lecture #3 - Lewis and the Christian Hope

 

Lectio Series - Lecture #2 - Lewis, Barfield, and RO

 

Lectio Series - Lecture #1 - CS Lewis and Christian Imagination

 

On Thomas Hardy's "The Convergence of the Twain"

  It does seem that all the people who were paying attention to the production of the Titanic really were excited about the ship as a superb achievement of engineering.  The "unsinkable" Titanic was surely a gilded, bright exemplar - even an idol - of man's ability to overcome the forces of nature, and to luxuriously dote upon himself.  So it was, that the sinking had a jarring impact on the minds and spirits of people.  Hardy publishes his own reaction to the event in this poem. Hardy is known to have been an agnostic.  He was a modern man who did not believe in a personal God behind the material universe.  However, he uses personal terms as he couches his reference to a guiding principle - of which he seems certain - operating behind the convergence of the ship and the iceberg.  He may have not believed in a Person operating behind the shadowy scenes, but whatever blind fate was in operation he does personify it.  Why?  We could ask, why had anyone done such a thing be