The Road of the Heart's Desire: An Essay on the Cycles of Story and Song

by John S. Dunne

Overview

The Road of the Heart’s Desire focuses on the emergence of the human race and the individual from an undifferentiated oneness and the return of the individual to the human community and to reflective and differentiated oneness with God. Dunne expresses this reunion through music and language. “Thinking of the human essence, we can discern in story and song a double emergence and separation, that of the human race and that of the individual,” he writes.

Dunne traces four cycles of story and song: the unity of all things, an emergence and separation of the human race, the emergence of the individual, and finally a reunion of humanity with “all in all.” The “road of the heart’s desire” is the path each person takes toward this reunion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268040123
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	11/30/2002
Edition description:	1st Edition
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

John S. Dunne (d. 2013) was the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and the author of twenty books, including A Journey with God in Time: A Spiritual Quest and A Vision Quest, also published by the University of Notre Dame Press.

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
	Waymarks	xi
	The Road of Origin	1
	Thinking back
	"In the beginning is the song"
	The Road of Individuation	23
	The Things of a Life
	The Signs of a Time
	A Thinking Heart
	The Way of an Individual
	The Road of Reunion	63
	The Road of Knowledge
	The Road of Love
	The Music of Words	85
	Mapping Words onto Music
	Mapping Music onto Words
	The Road of the Heart's Desire	107
	Song Cycles	123
	The King of the Golden River
	East of the Sun, West of the Moon
	Index	133

Editorial Reviews

". . . a profound and profoundly personal essay on the spiritual path of the human being . . . this striking and original work of theology is highly recommended.” —Library Journal

". . .theology comes alive as a joyous celebration in the work of John Dunne." —Booklist

"Dunne's prose is thickly layered with poetic and literary allusions and quotations, encouraging the reader to linger and reflect on the images described. The astounding breadth and diversity of literary and musical quotations reveal deep understanding in both of these fields which seem to be truly united in the author's life. Through his personal story, Dunne describes universal aspects of our existence as we journey toward reunion with God." —Perspectives in Religious Studies

“It is difficult to convey the subtleties of the yearning of our hearts for unity with God, others and the abundant pleasures of life on Earth. In this richly textured paperback, Dunne does just that, a commendable mix of philosophy, literary wisdom and theological acumen.” —Spirituality and Health

“Dunne is one of our finest writers of spiritual literature. His intellectual breadth alone marks his work as significant. His poetic style prompts slow and careful reading . . . John Dunne offers nourishment to which we can return often.” —Denise Carmody, Santa Clara University

“John Dunne has been pursuing human wholeness through the course of his many books. His insights into our completeness come out of his unique journey leading to the healing of his own separations: from the paths not taken earlier in life that return to join the one consciously chosen; from his relationships with others, leading to his meeting other people where we are most alone; and, ultimately, from his discovery of God's presence in his own experience of longing.” —Carol Ochs, Hebrew Union College

“The old master has been at work again! John Dunne provides a rare combination of the poignantly personal with the utterly universal, a work of intense thought and reflection that erupts into song, a book that like a good friend pauses and responds to your questions about the life of the spirit as it pauses and responds to John Dunne’s own doubts and difficulties and desires.” —John T. Noonan, author of The Lustre of Our Country

“John S. Dunne is a Catholic theologian who really does understand what it means to listen and discern the voice of God.” —Newsweek

From the Publisher

"It is difficult to convey the subtleties of the yearning of our hearts for unity with God, others and the abundant pleasures of life on Earth. In this richly textured paperback, Dunne does just that, a commendable mix of philosophy, literary wisdom and theological acumen."

Spirituality and Health

". . .Theology comes alive as a joyous celebration in the work of John Dunne."

Booklist

"Dunne's prose is thickly layered with poetic and literary allusions and quotations, encouraging the reader to linger and reflect on the images described. The astounding breadth and diversity of literary and musical quotations reveal deep understanding in both of these fields which seem to be truly united in the author's life. Through his personal story, Dunne describes universal aspects of our existence as we journey toward reunion with God."

Perspectives in Religious Studies

The author of several previous works in theology, O'Brien (theology, Univ. of Notre Dame) has written a profound and profoundly personal essay on the spiritual path of the human being toward what he terms a "differentiated oneness" with God, using metaphors to describe the progress. "A journey with God in time," he writes, "is the great matter of story and song," and he supports his reflections with apposite ideas from the likes of fantasy author Patricia McKillip and Norwegian legend, as well as Heidegger and Descartes. This striking and original work of theology is highly recommended. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

". . .Theology comes alive as a joyous celebration in the work of John Dunne."

Booklist