Faith and Fiction: Christian Literature in America Today - Hardcover

Gandolfo, Anita

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0275991962 ISBN 13: 9780275991968

Publisher: Praeger, 2007

Synopsis

In recent years, there has been an explosion in the market for fiction on religious topics and themes, most notably Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The variety of contemporary religious fiction and the publishing phenomenon surrounding it indicate that this literature transcends any overt religious meaning and is significant in its political and social implications; it is emblematic of the contemporary American Zeitgeist. Traditionally, literature is both mirror and lamp, reflecting the society that produces it and illuminating the values and interests of that society. Recognizing both of those perspectives, Gandolfo examines Christian literature's place in American culture today and explores the cultural meaning and significance of the wildly popular Christian fiction now available. The phenomenon surrounding Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has led to a cottage industry of interpretations, attacks, and commentaries, but one thing is certain: the book has had an enormous impact on American society, culture, and religious understanding, not to mention the publishing industry, which scrambles to find similar religious books to feed to an eager public. But The Da Vinci Code is not the only book of its type on the market today. In recent years, there has been an explosion in the market for fiction on religious topics and themes, with an entire series devoted to the impending Rapture as described in the Left Behind series. Some fiction does not take an explicitly religious theme as these books do. Instead, writers like Andre Dubus and Ron Hansen imbue their creative work with spiritual and religious themes embedded in the everyday lives and concerns of their characters. Regardless of the specific approach, what is not in doubt is that American readers have made the authors of these works wealthy as bookstores cannot stock their shelves with enough copies. Why the recent surge of interest in Christian fiction? How does it reflect trends in our culture and our lives? How has

About this title

Review:

"Gandolfo offers a concise, insightful study that blends the sociology of current American religious culture, notably the impact of evangelicalism, with literary criticism of novelists addressing Christian themes. In a chapter titled Competing Paradigms, the author provides an excellent brief summary of the sociopolitical aspects of post-WW II Christianity in the US.... the present volume offers a balanced critique of works from the Christian right--for example, the Left Behind sequence of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins and the romance fiction of authors like Karen Kingsbury and Francine Rivers. The author focuses on how their more formulaic novels contrast with works of greater literary merit that offer more complex presentations of faith issue, e.g., work by John Updike, Oscar Hijuelos, and Barbara Kingsolver. This book will find a readership among students of literature, religion, and contemporary culture. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers." - Choice

"Gandolfo's wide survey and careful comparisons help make sense of the flood of Christian fiction, and her study is heartily recommended for all academic libraries." - Catholic Library World

"Gandolfo explores the contemporary American phenomenon of the popularity of Christian fiction in both the evangelical and mainstream publishing markets....Each of the book's eight chapters has extensive notes, and the work includes a bibliography and index. Highly recommended for religious and literature collections at college and university libraries." - MultiCultural Review

"Gandolpho assesses the new crop of fiction and its impact on American popular culture, including the recent blockbuster that had something to do with Da Vinci and the popular series about the Rapture. Along the way she shows how the rise of such pop and serious reading mirrors the preoccupation of the society, noting the particular elements of faith in the most popular products and applying them to recent cultural phenomena." - Reference & Research Book News

Synopsis:

Christian fiction is wide ranging, from the immensely popular thriller "The Da Vinci Code" to self-styled "Christian literature," such as the Left Behind books, from Catholic restorations like Ralph McNerny and Andrew Greeley, to novelists highly respected by the literary establishment, such as Ron Hansen and Frederick Beuchner, who openly proclaim their personal faith as a guiding feature of their work. This variety of contemporary religious fiction and the publishing phenomenon it represents indicates that this literature transcends any overt religious meaning and is significant in its political and social implications. Anita Gandolfo contends it is emblematic of the contemporary American Zeitgeist.Traditionally, literature is both "mirror" and "lamp," reflecting the society that produces it and illuminating that society to highlight meaning and significance. Through a consideration of the wild popularity of Christian fiction, Gandolfo explores the cultural meaning and significance of this fiction and addresses questions about its place in American culture.

About this edition

• Publisher: Praeger
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0275991962
• ISBN 13: 9780275991968
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 208