The story idea below is suggested by a post in Idle Speculation about an important Jesuit missionary to China. The suggestive paragraph:
Michael Alphonsus Shen Fu-Tsung was born of Chinese Christian parents and came to Europe at the instigation of Father Philip Couplet, Procurator of the China Jesuits in Rome. After leaving Macao in 1681 they traveled together in Italy, France and England. Shen Fu-Tsung left England in 1688 for Lisbon where he entered the Society of Jesus. He died near Mozambique on his way back to China in 1691.
Story Premise
A present day Jesuit priest whose specialty is comparative literature discovers a “lost” cache of poetry, written in the 17th Century, that rivals the very best French verse of that period. The publication of these poems would set French literary criticism on it’s ear, and earn our Jesuit Priest much secular validation.
Not to mention that they are extremely beautiful works of art.
One hitch, the poems are written by Father Philip Couplet, S.J., and they are love poems. They are written to the young Michael Alphonsus, the beautiful Chinese young man pictured above.
What should our young Jesuit priest do with his discovery?
A present day Jesuit priest whose specialty is comparative literature discovers a “lost” cache of poetry, written in the 17th Century, that rivals the very best French verse of that period. The publication of these poems would set French literary criticism on it’s ear, and earn our Jesuit Priest much secular validation.
Not to mention that they are extremely beautiful works of art.
One hitch, the poems are written by Father Philip Couplet, S.J., and they are love poems. They are written to the young Michael Alphonsus, the beautiful Chinese young man pictured above.
What should our young Jesuit priest do with his discovery?
----- o -----
No comments:
Post a Comment