Recent scholarship in nineteenth-century literary studies consistently
recognizes the profound importance of religion, even as it
marginalizes the topic. There are few, if any, challenging yet
manageable introductions to religion and literature in the
long-nineteenth century, a factor that serves to fuel scholars'
neglect of theological issues. This book aims to show how religion,
specifically Christianity, is integral to the literature and culture
of this period. It provides close readings of popular texts and
integrates these with accessible explanations of complex religious
ideas. Written by two scholars who have published widely on religion
and literature, the book offers a detailed grounding in the main
religious movements of the period 1750-1914. The dominant traditions
of High Anglicanism, Tractarianism, Evangelicalism and Roman
Catholicism are contextualized by preceding chapters addressing
dissenting culture (primarily Presbyterianism, Methodism, Unitarianism
and Quakerism), and the question of secularization is considered in
the light of the diversity and capacity for renewal within the
Christian faith. Throughout the book the authors untangle theological
and church debates in a manner that highlights the privileged
relationship between religion and literature in the period. The book
also gives readers a language to approach and articulate their own
'religious' readings of texts, texts that are often concerned with
slippery subjects such as the divine, the non-material and the nature
of religious experience. Refusing to shut down religious debate by
offering only narrow or fixed definitions of Christian traditions, the
book also questions the demarcation of sacred material from secular,
as well as connecting the vitality of religion in the period to a
broader literary culture.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780191535017
Publisert
2020
Utgiver
Vendor
OUP Oxford
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter