SOURCE: “Christian Mythos as Theme in Chesterton's The Ballad of the White Horse,” in Thought, Vol. LXVI, No. 261, June, 1991, pp. 161-78.

In the following essay, Boyd argues that The Ballad of the White Horse conveys one of Chesterton's most important themes: that Christian faith in the creation and the redemption are crucial to the underpinnings of human culture.

To speak in the one breath of mythos (or myth) and poetry can easily cause confusion, for they are not the same thing; yet, if done carefully, it can help us focus on their compatibility and harmony without our losing a sense of the identity of each. This strategy can tell us a good bit about the voice of the poet in question and how this relates to his larger perspectives. These are admittedly broad-ranging interests, and, when meant to relate to The Ballad of the White Horse and to...