The Defendant

Why do humans have a horror of skeletons? Is this aversion justified? What does it signify? Such are the animating questions of this essay by G. K. Chesterton, who acts as a witty defendant for humanity’s hidden form: “Without claiming for the human skeleton a wholly conventional beauty,”...

“The fascination of children lies in this: that with each of them all things are remade, and the universe is put again upon its trial.” With G. K. C.’s characteristic wit, he explores in this essay the virtues of baby-worship, as adults are invited to see the world anew through the eyes of...

Humility gets a bad rap these days, especially when contrasted with philosophies of egoism and self-assertion. But can we see the world as it really is without losing ourselves for a moment to take up the perspective of another? Such is the argument of G. K. Chesterton in this delightful essay...

Nonsense, argues G. K. Chesterton, deserves more serious attention than we may initially assume. It is in nonsense that we regain a sense of wonder at the world – by appreciating the pure serendipitousness of the beauty that fills our lives. This essay is one in a series titled The Defendant...

While some may argue that the detective story is an example of cheap, dispensable popular fiction, G. K. Chesterton begs to differ. He is, after all, the author of the Father Brown mysteries! Where else but in detective novels do we appreciate the romance of the city? This essay is from a series...