THE ARCHBISHOP, THE CRIMINAL AND THE REPAIR OF DESTINIES
March 2010
On the Bresson pages, I devote one of them to 'Detectives'. I have now enlarged the ideas expressed there into an article for the journal 'Theology' - see below. It explores the idea of confession as it is analysed in Rown Williams' recent book on Dostoevsky's novels. Bernanos made a Dostoevskian confessional scene central to 'The Diary of a Country Priest', realized in Bresson's film of the novel. The link between Dostoevsky and Bresson is then explored, especially the re-creation of Porfiry Petrovich in 'Crime and Punishment' as a police inspector. This leads to Inspector Vigot in Greene's 'The Quiet American' and to Simenon's Inspector Maigret who at the beginning of his career had a vision of himself as a 'repairer of destinies' or confessor.
The essay has just been published in 'Theology' magazine for March/April 2010: see http://www.spckpublishing.co.uk/cat/theology.php, and is available as a pdf download here.