Neocon,
First of all, I am not at all sure that "the central event of the modern period is the unsettlement of the given world in which we live," if by the "modern period" you mean the 20th century. I would say this "unsettlement" was more central to the NINETEENTH century, thanks to such intellectual bombshells as Darwinism, and to industrialization, etc.
So I would not give existentialism pride of place over other philosophical movements for the reason you cite.
May I add when we are up close to events, we pay more attention to the sound and the fury, and often don't even notice quieter developments that may turn out to be more significant in the long run. Take the huge increase in global life expectancy in the 20th century, for example. (http://www.overpopulation.com/life_expectancy.html)
I still do not think that C.S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton have had any particular influence beyond certain circles in the English-speaking world. If you can prove to me that their works are translated into many different languages, and that they have a wide readership abroad, or even that they have large cult followings, if not mass followings, I may surrender. But Ernest Hemingways they are not.
By the way, I detest Hemingway. That is, I find him unreadable. But I can't deny his work has been extremely influential, both on the craft of writing, and on ordinary readers. Wherever you go on the globe, people have heard of Hemingway (if they are literate, that is).
He should probably be on any Top 100 list. |
