An analysis of two major religiously inspired writers from a Kierkegaardian perspective. Writing the Incommensurable studies how the threat posed by the absence of an immanent God is explored in the works of Søren Kierkegaard, Christina Rossetti, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. 
Mary Finn erects a theoretical framework in each chapter based on a pseudonymous work of Kierkegaard. In these pseudonymous works, Kierkegaard uses the discourses of philosophy, theology, and literature to plot the complicated path of a religious writer whose own impulse to write complicates—if it does not compromise—the religious vision she or he wants to communicate.
The book is organized according to four Kierkegaardian categories: anxiety, lyric voice, repetition, and radical choice. All four are responses to what Kierkegaard calls the incommensurable, the unnegotiable gap between subjectivity (and God) on the one hand and "actuality" on the other. This gap plagues the writer-believer while also enabling writing. In what dilemma, then, does a religious poet find herself or himself when out of the depths of personal doubt, lack of understanding, and religious inadequacy comes a literary success? Or is this dilemma avoided by paradoxically refiguring failure as a measure of success, and if so, can such a refiguring ever be fully trusted? As the notion of the subjective "self" acquires preeminence in the nineteenth century, the particularized "writing self" is the entity Kierkegaard, Hopkins, and Rossetti fight to get beyond as religious believers. The futility of such an attempt nonetheless results in a peculiar success: there is the writing itself, material evidence that the fight occurred, imbued with the pathos and beauty of all monuments erected to lost causes.

Writing the Incommensurable: Kierkegaard, Rossetti, and Hopkins (Literature and Philosophy)

Literature & Fiction

Finn, Mary

Genre Fiction

Penn State University Press

Set in colonial India, this richly layered coming-of-age tale follows a spirited young artist on a journey up the Ganges — and through the enigmas of her past. How can Anila Tandy, left to fend for herself after her mother's death, dare to apply for a job that is clearly not meant for a woman? But somehow the "Bird Girl of Calcutta," art supplies in hand, finds herself on an eye-opening journey up the Ganges, apprenticed to a gentleman scientist. As the lush landscape slips by, Anila dives into her past — a past where her beautiful Bengali mother still tells stories and her Irish father's mysterious disappearance lingers. Gorgeously written and rich with atmosphere, Mary Finn's debut novel tells the story of a determined young artist who must make her way in the dangerous world of late-eighteenth-century India.

Anila's Journey

Children's Books

Candlewick

A lyrical coming-of-age story about a boy, a girl, and a horse — and how a chance encounter can lead to a life of intrigue and learning, a life beyond imagining. When Thomas Rose first spots the girl hidden by the roadside, she looks as drab as a lark, with only her red kerchief giving her away. But French Hélène, who goes by "Ling," is no ordinary bird. Tiny Ling enchants Thomas with her wild spirit and tales of a circus where she danced atop her beloved horse, Belladonna. But the horse has been sold, and Ling must fetch her back. Now Thomas’s life as a clever but unschooled wheelwright’s son is about to change. Their search leads to painter George Stubbs, who euthanizes ailing animals in order to study their anatomy. Stubbs draws eerie horses that stride as if they could move out of the paper world into the real one — but he assures his young friends that their horse is safe at a nearby estate. As Ling and Thomas devise a risky plan to recover Belladonna, Stubbs hires Thomas as an apprentice, teaching him to read and write as well. In this fascinating story, Mary Finn incorporates a real eighteenth-century artist into a beautifully imagined tale of adventure and young romance.

Belladonna

Teen & Young Adult

Historical Fiction

Starting with commercially available wooden eggs, Mary Finn shows how to transform them into all kinds of delightful characters, each with a unique personality. Using detailed, step by step instructions and color photography, this book shows how to create both “big headed” and regularly proportioned egg people, carve whole figures or partial figures, and add legs or go without. A list of ten basic steps is applied to each of four projects: a Santa carving, a man in a business suit, a butterfly-catching lady, and an ice hockey player. You will learn how to orient the egg, establish the basic outline, complete details such as eyes, hair, and clothing, and paint the finished project. Carving egg people is the ideal project for people with limited access to saws or other large equipment as well as for those who want an enjoyable “take-along” carving project.

Carving Egg People (Schiffer Book for Woodcarvers)

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Crafts & Hobbies

Schiffer Craft

Accomplished carver and teacher Mary Finn shows how to create all kinds of charming animals, each “born” from a commercially available wooden egg. Egg animals can come out of the egg in any direction and can be made standing, sitting, or lying down. Here, step by step instructions and color photography illustrate carving techniques for a crouching rabbit, sitting bear, chubby pig, and fire-breathing dragon. Readers will learn how to orient the egg, establish the basic outline, complete eyes, ears, feet, and other details, and paint the finished animal. These projects require only minimal working space and are great for those with limited access to saws or other large equipment. Each egg has the potential to become a favorite pet, a wild animal, or an imaginative character, and all provide lots of fun and enjoyment for the carver.

Carving Egg Animals (Schiffer Book for Carvers)

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Wooden pins make wonderful handmade gifts and can be carved in a minimum of space with small equipment. Here, accomplished woodcarver and teacher Mary Finn guides readers through the creation of five colorful designs: a sunflower, cardinal, bunny, Santa, and rose. Mary suggests ideas for developing pin designs as well as methods for creating blanks that can be used many times. Step-by-step instructions and color photography present the process of carving the blank, adding texture and other details, painting, finishing, and attaching a pin to the back. Whether you want a dainty pin for your best friend, a funky pin for your little sister, or a bolo for your favorite uncle, this book will provide the tips and techniques for creating just the right look.

Carving Pins (Schiffer Book for Woodworkers)

Adventure Guide to Dublin

Wolfhound Press

The Adventure Guide to Dublin

Politics & Social Sciences

Sociology

Out &amp; About in Dublin includes chapters on Rivers and Canals, Shopping, Museums, Galleries, Medieval Dublin, Parks and Gardens, Beaches, Islands, Where to Barbecue, Summer Camps, Youth Organizations, Hobbies and Skills, Arts anti Crafts, Sports, Wildlife, Free Entertainment and where to get the best views of the city.

Out & About in Dublin

Travel

Europe

Wolfhound Pr

This book is the perfect start for anyone interested in learning how to carve detailed faces. Mary Finn uses her "practice stick" method to show you how to carve each feature - eyes, nose, closed mouth, open mouth - with step by step directions that even beginners will find easy to follow. Then she shows you how to arrange all of these pieces into one wooden egg to make a convincing head! This method has helped hundreds of Mary's students, and is a sure-fire way to get started! "Egg head" projects included in this book are an old man, a pirate, and the Mad Hatter. Mary shows you how to adapt her carving techniques to flatter surfaces to make jewelry (like a bolo tie project) and how to paint your pieces for maximum impact. This book is terrific for beginners, and a great way for more advanced carvers to enlarge their skills.

Carving Egg Heads (Schiffer Book for Woodcarvers)

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Books by Finn, Mary