Book Review: If Is the Only Peacemaker

Abstract

Sub-titled ‘The Catholic Humanist Rhetoric of As You Like It’, this book has three purposes. First, the author, a Professor of English at Crandall University in Canada, sets out to examine Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy through the lens of the Catholic Humanism which is the play’s cultural backdrop. Second, he intends to highlight the play’s blend of eloquentia and sapientia, of wit and wisdom, as exemplified by such major exponents of Catholic Humanism as Thomas More and Erasmus earlier in the 16th century. Thirdly, he argues that this under-estimated play serves as an outstanding example of the Catholic Humanist rhetoric that is a central feature of Shakespeare’s art. Many insights are offered that enhance our appreciation of the rich subtlety of the play with regard to its vocabulary and verbal exchanges, its characterization and plot. Maillet effectively demonstrates how deeply the play is suffused with Catholic Humanist assumptions and perspectives. The book is divided into two parts. In Part One, ‘Understanding Catholic Humanism’, there are nine chapters, which, after looking briefly at the antecedents of Catholic Humanism in scripture and tradition, quickly surveys some of its exponents in Italy (Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, St Francis of Assisi, and Michelangelo) and England (Chaucer, William of Langland, Julian of Norwich, and John Colet). This selection might be considered a little idiosyncratic by some readers. One chapter is devoted to Erasmus and two to Thomas More. Part One culminates with a chapter on renaissance rhetoric and one on the play’s immediate context in 1599. Part Two, ‘As You Like It and the Rhetoric of Catholic Humanism’, has ten chapters, each of which analyses a scene in the play. The commentary here is so exhaustively detailed that, except for the most enthusiastic students of the play, it becomes tedious. Underlying the Catholic Humanism that pervades As You Like It there is a theological anthropology, an understanding of human nature and personhood. But this emerges here only gradually and through small examples, whereas it would have helped the reader if a succinct overview of key features of Catholic Humanism and of a Christian anthropology had been provided before going into detail. The same applies to the play: the assumption of the author seems to be that readers already possess knowledge about its plot; a 1150549 ITQ0010.1177/00211400221150549Irish Theological QuarterlyBook Reviews book-review2023