Religious Themes in Literature
Spring, 2005-2006
Douglas Langston
A
course in religion and literature. You will
learn to read a variety of texts in order to extract from them various
religious and philosophical themes and concerns. You will see how these themes are related to
plot, characterization, and style. Through
a presentation and writing papers you will learn how to analyze these themes in
their contexts.
THE DIDACTIC
Week 1. 1/30: Introduction; 2/2: Class Organization. Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
Week 2. 2/6: Crime
and Punishment; 2/9: CandP, “The 5
Acts of Crime and Punishment”
THE RELIGIOUS AS THE SOCIAL
Week 3. 2/13:
Camus. The Fall,
Exile and Kingdom; 2/16: Brown, “Grace in the Midst of
Judgment”(R)
Week 4. 2/20 and 2/23: Camus.
The Plague
Week 5. 2/27:
Silone. Bread and Wine; 3/2: Brown,
“Strange Names for a Shapeless God” (R)
THE RELIGIOUS AS PRESENT AT THE EDGES
Week 6.
3/6: O’Connor. “A Stroke of Good Fortune”;
“A Good Man Is Hard To Find”; “A Late Encounter . . .”;
“The Life You Save”; “The Displaced Person”; “ A
Temple . . .”; “The Artificial Nigger”;
3/9: “Good Country People”; “The
Enduring Chill”; “Everything that Rises . . .”; “The
Lame Shall Enter First”; “Judgment Day”; “Parker’s
Back”;
Week 7.
3/13: O’Connor. The Violent Bear It Away; 3/16 Wood, Comedy
of Redemption, Chapter 5
BREAK WEEK 3/20 — 3/24
Week 8. 3/27:
O’Connor. Wise Blood;
3/30 Wood, Comedy of
THE RELIGIOUS OF THE EVERYDAY
Week 9.
4/3: Percy. The Moviegoer; 4/6: Wood, Comedy of
Redemption, Chps. 7 and 8
Week 10.
4/10: Updike. Rabbit Run; 4/13: Wood, Comedy of
Week 11. 4/17:
Updike. A Month of Sundays; 4/20: Wood, Comedy
of Redemption, Ch. 10; Detweiler, “John
Updike’s Sermons” (R)
Week 12.
4/24: Lewis. Till We Have Faces; 4/27: Brown,
“Affirmation in the Midst of Complaint” (R)
Week 13.
5/1 and 5/4: Erdrich.
The Last Report on the Miracles at
Little No Horse
Week 14.
5/8 and 5/11: Miller. A Canticle for Leibowitz
Requirements: Faithful attendance (two unexcused strikes
and you are out). Twenty
pages of good writing in suitable format. Active and respectful
participation. A
collaborative introduction of an O’Connor short story. 12 reaction papers posted on time (by 5:00 on
Wednesday the day before class) on the web board (http://webboard.ncf.edu/~DougLangston)
“R”
indicates that the item is on electronic reserve through the library.