The convergence of sacred and secular spaces in three selected contemporary novels
Abstract
This article focuses on the return and revitalisation of traditional Christian themes,
such as sacrifice, guilt, sin and redemption, and the manifestation of supernatural
phenomena, such as visions, faith healing and stigmata in three selected
contemporary postmodern novels (Atonement by Ian McEwan, Keeping Faith by Jodi
Picoult and Mariëtte in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen). It offers an examination of how
these themes materialise in novels written by certain writers who are not explicitly
religious, or in novels which do not have an overtly religious focus. There is a coexistence
of belief and unbelief, or religion and science in all the novels under
discussion. The theories of Jean François Lyotard and specifically his notion of
“incredulity towards metanarratives” as well as his notion that narrative and scientific
knowledge are both subject to legitimisation are relevant to this article. Gianteresio
Vattimo’s ideas on the role of religion in contemporary life and the possible
convergences of postmodernity and the Christian faith also come into play. He
advocates weak thought as opposed to strong thought and sees caritas as essential
in a postmodern society. Readers find themselves either on the side of the believing
or unbelieving camp in the novels discussed. However, many readers may hover in
the liminal space between belief and unbelief. Interpretation depends on many
factors that constitute the world view of the readers.
Collections
- Faculty of Humanities [2033]