Heretics · Chapter
IX: The Moods of Mr. George Moore explained
Chesterton critiques Mr.
What happens
Chesterton critiques Mr. George Moore's perpetual self-focus and pride, contrasting it with the humility and vanity of Stevenson, and arguing that Moore's egoism undermines his literary and personal effectiveness. He defends Christian paradoxes like hope, charity, and the sinfulness of pride, and suggests that Moore's inability to see beyond himself prevents him from achieving lasting truth or influence.
Themes in this chapter
Humility and Romance
Chesterton contrasts Moore's pride with Stevenson's humility and vanity, arguing that humility is wiser and more vigorous, and that the secret of life lies in laughter and humility.
Orthodoxy vs. Heresy
Chesterton defends Christian paradoxes (hope, charity, pride as sin) against Moore's self-centered, heretical worldview that denies the reality of other people.
Characters to notice
- Mr. George Moore
Subject of the chapter; criticized for his perpetual self-consciousness, pride, and inability to see beyond himself, despite genuine mental power.
- Stevenson
Contrasted with Moore; praised for his vanity, humility, and ability to find a final philosophy of life through laughter and humility.
- Thackeray
Mentioned as an example of a writer who understood the paradox of charity or chivalry, which Moore fails to grasp.
- Mr. Bernard Shaw
Contrasted with Moore; praised for tenacity of conviction and fighting spirit, which Moore lacks despite his pugnacity.
- Matthew Arnold
Mentioned as a writer with a clean-cut personality, unlike Moore's conflicting opinions.
Key passages
“Mr. George Moore began his literary career by writing his personal confessions; nor is there any harm in this if he had not continued them for the remainder of his life.”
Moore started by writing about himself, which would be fine if he hadn't kept doing it forever.
Chesterton criticizes Moore's lifelong self-absorption.
“Mr. Moore does not dislike so much being asked to believe in the spiritual existence of miracles or sacraments, but he does fundamentally dislike being asked to believe in the actual existence of other people.”
Moore's real problem isn't with religious beliefs, but with accepting that other people are real.
Chesterton highlights Moore's egoism as a rejection of external reality.
“Self is the gorgon. Vanity sees it in the mirror of other men and lives. Pride studies it for itself and is turned to stone.”
The self is like a monster; vanity looks at itself through others and survives, but pride stares directly and becomes paralyzed.
Chesterton uses a metaphor to contrast vanity (social, healthy) with pride (solitary, destructive).
“We feel as if we were being shown through a gallery of really fine pictures, into each of which, by some useless and discordant convention, the artist had represented the same figure in the same attitude.”
Reading Moore feels like viewing a gallery where every painting features the same person in the same pose.
Chesterton criticizes Moore's repetitive self-focus in his work.