Gilbert Keith Chesterton – the Edwardian Champion for Europe
Gilbert Keith Chesterton – the Edwardian Champion for Europe

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the paper is to look at the relevance of Gilbert Keith Chesterton’s literary output for the present day discussion of the foundations and future prospects of Europe. Chesterton was wholeheartedly dedicated to the cause of Europe at the time where such commitment, especially in the Englishman, was a mark of eccentricity rather than a reflection of widespread tendencies. Looking for the roots of European identity Chesterton stresses the formative impetus coming from Greek, Roman and Christian traditions. Consequently he stresses the significance of such European values as democracy, reason and the fundamental worth of person. From the impressive body of his writing: fiction, non-fiction, poetry and journalism, Chesterton emerges as a steadfast glorifier of Europe. However, the outlines of Chesterton’s Europe are arbitrary for they do not correspond to any geographical or political criteria. Chesterton, the ardent debater, posits his own idealised version of Europe which he sets out to defend against various manifestations of ‘non-European’ barbarism. His intellectual exuberance make him an unfaltering supporter of the European cause who deserves to be rediscovered and newly appreciated in the turbulent world of the 21st century.

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