51. The Anathemata with Jane Scharl

Jane Scharl is our guest today, as we journey further into the life of David Jones, specifically, his long poem “The Anathemata.” She gives a wonderful overview of this complex poem, so if you are thinking about reading it (or even if you have read it before), this episode is essential. Jane helps us to see that as we travel through the “wasteland,” there is still hope. Our vocation is to gather “signs,” whether made by our hands or the hands of another, and offer them to God. There is much beauty in this episode—especially in its quiet moments—and in the “fertile ashes” of our lives.

Jane Clark Scharl is an American poet, playwright, and critic. Her poetry has appeared in many American and European outlets, including the BBC, The Hopkins Review, The New Ohio Review, The Hudson Review, The American Journal of Poetry, The Lamp, Measure Review, and others. Her criticism has appeared in Dappled Things, Fare Forward, Plough Quarterly, and others. Her verse drama Sonnez Les Matines, was published by Wiseblood Books in February 2023.Her debut poetry collection, Ponds, was released by Wipf & Stock Publishers in April 2024.

She lives in Detroit with her husband and children. Her website is jcscharl.com.

For those keeping score at home, here is the prayer Sam offered at the beginning of the episode:

Lord, we confess, we don’t know very much about You, or very much about ourselves. So, we grope and strain after You—in our art, our poetry, our meal-making, our sheep-shearing, our land-appraising, our child-raising, our machining, our speaking, and our dreaming.

In You, we live and move and have our being; and, dare I add, in us You live and move and give Your being. My life is Your gift. You have given Your life to us twice: once in life and once in death, so whether we live or die, You are never far from us.

Beloved, we are Your vigilant virgins, and we wait eagerly for You to come for us. May our lamps be our valve-making; may our lamps be our painting; may our lamps be our family-making; may our lamps be our poetry; may our lamps be our church-leading; may our lamps be our land-appraising; may our lamps be our farming and sheep-shearing and cleaning and dreaming. May we keep them full of oil and burning for You—through the long night—until we see You face to face. Amen.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Opening Thoughts 01:10:48 Exploring David Jones' Life and Work 01:14:38 Understanding David Jones' Poetry 01:21:10 The Visual and Tactile Nature of Poetry 01:27:36 The Quest for Meaning in Jones' Work 01:33:03 Reading and Analyzing 'A a a Domine Deus' 01:38:35 The Duality of Sacred and Profane in Jones' Work 01:41:44 Exploring the Depths of Language and Meaning 01:47:50 The Role of the Artist in a Wasteland 01:50:43 Art, Sacrifice, and the Nature of Creation 01:58:10 Keys to Understanding the Poem 02:04:01 Thematic Elements and Symbolism in the Poem 02:10:26 Personal Reflections and Connections to the Poem

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