Life as a Catholic priest in California in the go-go 1960's is the general background of the main part of the story.
However, the story began a long time before that in Ireland.
In the blog I will attempt to give a sense of the social and educational background of the character, Jack Holland.
However, the story began a long time before that in Ireland.
In the blog I will attempt to give a sense of the social and educational background of the character, Jack Holland.
In the first place, finding the framework for a story that is sequential presents difficulties. Most stories tend to be more condensed. One dramatic event will disrupt the orderly life that exist at the start of the story. The rest of the book/play/movie will deal with the resulting complications and how these result in a new situation.
Some who've studied the matter believe that there are only a few basic stories anyway and most of these are contained in ancient myths, reenacted in Greek theatre, Shakespearean plays and modern entertainments.
For a sequential story it seemed obvious that Homer's Odyssey would be a natural template. The poet, T.S. Eliot, called this process, finding the mythological logic of a story.
Oddly enough, when I began writing Bitter Oranges, I discovered that many of the events had an eerie resemblance to those experienced by Odysseus/ Ulysses: deceiving the Cyclops - the one-eyed; provoking of a vengeful god; encounters with Sybil and Charybdis - the dangerous females; and most of all, Tiresias - the blind seer who is both male and female.
Some who've studied the matter believe that there are only a few basic stories anyway and most of these are contained in ancient myths, reenacted in Greek theatre, Shakespearean plays and modern entertainments.
For a sequential story it seemed obvious that Homer's Odyssey would be a natural template. The poet, T.S. Eliot, called this process, finding the mythological logic of a story.
Oddly enough, when I began writing Bitter Oranges, I discovered that many of the events had an eerie resemblance to those experienced by Odysseus/ Ulysses: deceiving the Cyclops - the one-eyed; provoking of a vengeful god; encounters with Sybil and Charybdis - the dangerous females; and most of all, Tiresias - the blind seer who is both male and female.
The protagonist in the novel, Jack Holland, would have been educated in the Northern Ireland system of that time: elementary school till he sat the Eleven Plus exam. then, St. Columb's College Derry, a 5-6 year secondary school as a boarder. At the end of this he would have sat a state exam commonly called, "A Levels" - the outcome of which pretty much determined the university/career options open to him. In Holland's case through his neglect of studies, these options were severely limited. Due to the pressure from home to excel in something - anything, we learn the choice he makes under these circumstances.
Seminary of the 1950's usually required an undergraduate degree in philosophy followed by four years of divinity studies - theology, moral and dogmatic; sacred scripture; counseling and guidance basics; religious teaching practice; social studies and social work in an agency; canon law; liturgy and church architecture; and some other topics I may have forgotten.
All these years the boys would have lived in near-monastic conditions in a walled compound: lots of prayer and meditation, protracted compulsory silences, austere silent meals in a refectory to the accompaniment of reading calculated to elevate the mind and soul. Typically they would be allowed home only for Christmas and the "long vac" in summer. During the time there he would have been assigned to or have selected a diocese outside of Ireland - the seminary he chose in the novel served "the English-speaking world".
Entering the final year of divinity, he would have been ordained a sub-deacon and from that time he would have been bound by celibacy (not so much a vow as a promise). Following the final year of divinity he would have been ordained a priest. Within a few weeks of ordination he would have traveled to his diocese (a geographical area presided over by a bishop or archbishop) and there would have been assigned to a parish (a subdivision of a diocese).
[Note: Priests are generally divided into "secular" and "religious" depending on whether they serve under the Bishop of a diocese or belong to a religious order. The latter are bound by vows or poverty, chastity and obedience, and serve under a Superior. Examples of "Orders" are Franciscans, Benedictines, Jesuits, etc.. Holland then is obvious a secular priest who serves under the Bishop of Minerva, California].
Seminary of the 1950's usually required an undergraduate degree in philosophy followed by four years of divinity studies - theology, moral and dogmatic; sacred scripture; counseling and guidance basics; religious teaching practice; social studies and social work in an agency; canon law; liturgy and church architecture; and some other topics I may have forgotten.
All these years the boys would have lived in near-monastic conditions in a walled compound: lots of prayer and meditation, protracted compulsory silences, austere silent meals in a refectory to the accompaniment of reading calculated to elevate the mind and soul. Typically they would be allowed home only for Christmas and the "long vac" in summer. During the time there he would have been assigned to or have selected a diocese outside of Ireland - the seminary he chose in the novel served "the English-speaking world".
Entering the final year of divinity, he would have been ordained a sub-deacon and from that time he would have been bound by celibacy (not so much a vow as a promise). Following the final year of divinity he would have been ordained a priest. Within a few weeks of ordination he would have traveled to his diocese (a geographical area presided over by a bishop or archbishop) and there would have been assigned to a parish (a subdivision of a diocese).
[Note: Priests are generally divided into "secular" and "religious" depending on whether they serve under the Bishop of a diocese or belong to a religious order. The latter are bound by vows or poverty, chastity and obedience, and serve under a Superior. Examples of "Orders" are Franciscans, Benedictines, Jesuits, etc.. Holland then is obvious a secular priest who serves under the Bishop of Minerva, California].