Christian Themes in Modern Literature

[fredtgreco]

All,

I am looking to help a student in my congregation who wants to write a high school research paper on whether there are Christian themes in modern literature. I would appreciate any recommendations not of books with such themes, but rather with research or reference materials that a student could begin with that flesh out such themes and maybe point to such books.

Thanks.

 

[ZackF]

Modern as of 1500+ or 1900+?

 

[fredtgreco]

1900+, I believe.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

I'm not sure who to look to, so far as critics go, but anyone who writes about Flannery O'Connor cannot (at the risk of being laughed out of court) ignore the Christian dimension of her work.

T.S. Eliot is another obvious one.

Mockingbird (www.mbird.com) is a website that often examines current and past cultural artifacts (such as literary works) or presents the work of other critics and commentators on the same.

 

[a mere housewife]

Christianity Today's 'Books and Culture' might have something in that vein?

Books and Culture | A Christian Review

Marilynne Robinson and Annie Dillard are two well known living authors who use Christian themes: searching for literary criticism of their work from a Christian standpoint might prove fruitful. Annie Dillard at least, has also written in the area of literary criticism. In the fantasy world, Stephen R. Donaldson who was on the bestseller list and was born and raised in a missionary home, employs Christian themes (though he has rejected the faith of his upbringing), and there may be something available analysing his works from that perspective? If not, Ruben will probably one day write it . Going back to the 1900's, so much that is written on C. S. Lewis is available that it is simply a matter of narrowing the field and rejecting much that interprets him and his approach in ways he would have disavowed. Lewis wrote a good bit of literary criticism -- some of it, I believe, dealing with the question of reading as a Christian, which Ruben would probably remember the titles of better than I do. Here is a paper that might give some further ideas re: Lewis: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1236&context=honors (Note, I haven't read it myself: I thought it might suggest further sources/ideas).

 

[Eoghan]

Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis?

I was also interested when Charles Bonadies (excellent sermonaudio REFORMED Baptist - plug, plug, stir) observed that in the original Count of Montechristo when Dumas escapes and returns to Paris(?) the love of his life is married and he has to accept and back off. When they came to remake the film they could not accept this "morality" and he has an affair with her. Sign of the times or hollywood?

Robinson Crusoe? (not sure of the vintage)

Quite how do you define "modern literature"? My son had to do a book on Massachusets (wrong spelling I know) and I included a section on Cotton Mather and expanded a section on Jonathan Edwards. I also read a very interesting book by Jay Adams, "Greg Dawson and the Psychology Class" this used the device of a fictitious Pastor interacting with students to discuss Psychology. Another interesting genre was the Adventure books in which you decide your own ending - these presented moral choices and then led you through the consequences. (I have not got them to hand but PM me if you want the titles)

The problem is that the further away you move from a purely Christian message the more difficult it is to say that it is first and foremost a Christian book. I can see some Christian aspects in "The Matrix" and of course we have "the gospel in Star-Trek books". Personally I really enjoy Babylon 5 but my enthusiasm was tempered by the dualism inherent in the main plot. [B5 has of course been published and resulted in some fan generated books - I was particularly interested in the criteria for canonicity of such fan generated books]

 

[py3ak]

The notorious The Gospel According to Peanuts is secondary literature drawing out Christian themes in one of the 20th century's most significant original creations. Leland Ryken's The Christian Imagination might provide some help. Pastors in the Classics by the same author would almost certainly contain at least some helpful hints, but it wouldn't be limited to the time period in question. If Liberal Theology in English Poetry had been written in 1993 instead of 1893 it would probably have served the turn quite well.