An Overview of Religious−Literary Criticism in the U.S.
Abstract
Vernon Ruland, a historian of religious-literary criticism, intends to redefine goals, major issues, and the criteria of the criticism. Instead of ‟proud separate autonomies” of the involved literary critics and theologians he expects: religious-literary critics. Such an interdisciplinary exchange tempts some exaggerations (moments of self-transference are recognized only in the most specific obvious religious examples or − on the contrary − begin to appear everywhere; immature theological criticism treats ‟religious” any literary text of some depth), opens a question of conceiving − restrictive or comprehensive − the notions of religious values and religion (important obstacle in drawing up a bibliography of the criticism). Ruland searches for a comprehensive religious literary ideal and shows as it is achieved implicitly by the most divergent critics (Nathan Scott, Amos Wilder, R. W. B. Lewis, J. Hillis Miller, C. S. Lewis, W. H. Auden) and in the best works (‟a canon of standard works” opens Mimesis by Auerbach).
References
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