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Literature_
H-NET BOOK REVIEW
Published by H-Catholic@h-net.msu.edu (July 2007)
Robert P. Kennedy, Kim Paffenroth, and John Doody, eds. _Augustine and
Literature_. Augustine in Conversation: Tradition and Innovation. Series
editors John Doody and Kim Paffenroth. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2006. vi +
414 pp. Notes, bibliography, indices. $85.00 (cloth), ISBN
978-0-7391-0913-7; $29.95 (paper), ISBN 978-0-7391-1384-4.
Reviewed for H-Catholic by Kari Kloos, Department of Religious Studies,
Regis University
Reading Augustine Creatively
The fifth-century North African bishop Augustine left to the West a vast
body of work, writing in formative ways on political philosophy,
psychology, society, history, and of course, theology. Yet for all this
range, he did not write fiction or poetry. While as a boy Augustine
delighted in reading Latin literature, and while his creative work of
autobiography, _The Confessions_, virtually invented a new genre,
Augustine cautioned his readers against giving too much of their attention
to works intended to deceive or at least distract them from the state of
their souls.
Thus the latest volume in the Augustine in Conversation: Tradition and
Innovation series takes up a problematic yet fruitful topic, namely
Augustine's influence on literature. Following the volumes _Augustine and
Liberal Education_ and _Augustine and Politics_, _Augustine and
Literature_ explores what is admittedly a thorny area: how did Augustine
influence something that he did not practice and of which he was
critical?[1] Its consideration yields rich and at times surprising
results, demonstrating among the selected authors "a common concern that
literature be attentive to the highest things, and the deepest journeys of
the soul, even where those journeys may not actually arrive at what
Augustine deemed the end point" (p. 6).
Organized chronologically, the volume explores literature to the sixteenth
century (Dante, _The Wanderer_, Shakespeare), seventeenth century (John
Donne and George Herbert, François Fénelon, John Milton), nineteenth
century (Henrik Ibsen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Christina Rossetti, Gerard
Manley Hopkins, Arthur Rimbaud, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe), and
twentieth century (William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Rebecca West, and
Ralph Ellison). This range of European and American literature includes
authors who were directly influenced by Augustine (Dante, Milton,
O'Connor), as well as those whose connections to Augustine are indirect
and mediated through other authors (Faulkner, Ellison). As a result, the
volume presents both rich analysis of clear connections between Augustine
and literature, and creative and illuminating new connections.
The volume is well conceived and generally meets its targeted audience
well. Most of the essays balance analysis of literature and of Augustine's
thought while clearly explaining key references, content, and ideas for a
general audience. The most successful essays examine one particular aspect
of Augustine's influence on an author or work. For example, Phillip Cary's
essay on "The Weight of Love: Augustinian Metaphors of Movement in Dante's
Souls" considers how Dante uses Augustinian metaphors of fire and light to
make visible the movement of immaterial souls towards God through love.
Standout essays on direct Augustinian influence include Cary's essay, Paul
Contino on the patterns of descent and ascent in _The Brothers Karamazov_
(1880), Kim Paffenroth on feminine wisdom in Augustine and Goethe's
_Faust_ (c. 1808), and Debra Romanick Baldwin on physicality and the
rhetoric of the grotesque in Flannery O'Connor. The latter essay is
particularly rich for demonstrating both O'Connor's development of
Augustinian ideas and her divergence from him in embracing the more
elusive, less transparent realm of fiction. All of these essays examined
limited, fruitful topics in depth and complexity, yielding significant
conclusions.
Excellent essays showing indirect or at least less clearly acknowledged
Augustinian influence include Eric Plumer on _Hamlet_ (c. 1603), Glenn
Moulaison on Arthur Rimbaud, and Mark Schiffman on the "confessional
ethics" of Ralph Ellison's _Invisible Man_ (1952). The latter two in
particular demonstrate a depth of analysis that both respects the
independence of the literature from Augustine and explores through
contrast and similarity how Augustinian forms and themes are nevertheless
present, thus overcoming the potential risk of a superficial link between
their subject and Augustine. In some ways, these essays that demonstrate
influence amid vivid and even shocking (in the case of Rimbaud) contrast
are the most creatively illuminating in the collection.
Certainly other essays are of fine quality as well; the ones mentioned
here stand out for their depth of analysis, limited scope, illuminating
argument, balanced treatment of Augustine and literature, and persuasive
use of evidence. The main weaknesses in the collection lie in a few essays
that only briefly or superficially engage Augustine, focusing almost
entirely on the literary subject.
The volume serves well scholars and teachers who wish to integrate two
different disciplines in creative ways. As a whole it does not assume
extensive familiarity with Augustine or literature (although more
familiarity with the latter would help the reader), and it is accessible
to a generally informed, intellectually curious reader. It is valuable for
literary scholars seeking to understand a pervasive influence in
literature, for historians studying the extent of Augustine's range of
influence in the West, and for theological scholars who want to extend
their facility, particularly by considering the creative, non-Augustinian
realm of fiction and poetry.
Note
[1]. Kim Paffenroth and Kevin L. Hughes, eds., _Augustine and Liberal
Education_ (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2000); John Doody, _Augustine
and Politics_ (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2005).
Copyright (c) 2007 by H-Net, all rights reserved. H-Net permits
the redistribution and reprinting of this work for nonprofit,
educational purposes, with full and accurate attribution to the
author, web location, date of publication, originating list, and
H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online. For other uses
contact the Reviews editorial staff: hbooks@mail.h-net.msu.edu.
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