Unpacking WH Auden’s “For the Time Being”

January 8, 2024.Reading time 7 minutes.

During this Christmas season, I’ve written meditations on one of my favorite literary works of all time:WH Auden’s “For The Time Being.” (FTTB) Here are links to each section.Feel free to keep this page handy, for easy future reference. Unpacking WH Auden’s “For the Time Being.” Section One: “ADVENT.” Section Two: “THE ANNUNCIATION“ Section Three: […]

Flight Into Egypt

January 8, 2024.Reading time 25 minutes.

The Final Section of WH Auden’s “For the Time Being” (FTTB)(For the Previous Section: Click Here.) So finally, today, I offer a our final mediation on this great Christmas Play. Those who celebrate the Commercialist Christmas —who believe Christmas ends on December 26th— you no doubt see it as ridiculous that I’m still writing on […]

The Slaughter of the Innocents

January 6, 2024.Reading time 32 minutes.

Section Eight of WH Auden’s “For The Time Being.” (FTTB) And so, after the theological/philosophical ramblings of the last section, WH Auden returns us to the characters again.Let’s get to it. First, as I’ve done with other sections, a few words of what we know of the actual King Herod…. Herod was a puppet king, […]

The Meditation of Simeon

January 5, 2024.Reading time 15 minutes.

Section Seven of WH Auden’s “For The Time Being.” (FTTB)(For the previous section: Click Here) I should say from the outset that in my many readings of FTTB, I often skip over this entire section. It’s always felt like a weird little interruption to the narrative, and a section of incredibly deep philosophy/theology that even […]

Vision of the Shepherds/At the Manger

January 4, 2024.Reading time 18 minutes.

Sections Five and Six of WH Auden’s “For The Time Being.” (FTTB)(For section four: click here) Well, I’ve gotten a bit behind schedule, and so we’ll cover two sections today. But this isn’t bad, really, because it will allow us to continue the compare/contrast of two groups of characters. As you might recall from last […]

The Summons

January 2, 2024.Reading time 28 minutes.

SECTION FOUR OF WH AUDEN’S “FOR THE TIME BEING” (FTTB) (For Section Three, click here)After a break for New Year’s weekend, let’s continue with our conversation about WH Auden’s “For the Time Being,” (FTTB) and section four, in which we meet the “Wise Men.” I should note that this is all a bit out of […]

The Temptation of St. Joseph

January 2, 2024.Reading time 21 minutes.

SECTION TWO OF WH AUDEN’S “FOR THE TIME BEING” (FTTB) (For Second Two, click here)As I’ve already said previously, this is my favorite section of the entire poem, and a bit of writing/theology that’s been deeply influential to me for thirty years. Auden’s depiction of Joseph here, to me, is spot on for what he […]

The Annunciation

January 2, 2024.Reading time 9 minutes.

SECTION TWO OF WH AUDEN’S “FOR THE TIME BEING” (FTTB) (for section one, click here)Auden locates the Annunciation in “The Garden,” which we seem led to believe is Garden of Eden. In that Garden, each of the four Jungian “Faculties” — Sensation, Feeling, Intuition, and Thought— get a chance to speak. As a licensed administrator […]

Advent

December 26, 2023.Reading time 10 minutes.

SECTION ONE OF WH AUDEN’S “FOR THE TIME BEING” (FTTB) Advent is the season we have just finished —the season the Consumerist Cultural Christmas calls “The Christmas Season.” But, the Christmas season starts on Christmas Day and, like that earworm torture of a song, it does indeed run for twelve days. But to counter that […]