Chapter 1 The Confessions of St. Augustine Chapter 2 The Cloud of Unknowing Chapter 3 Revelations of Divine Love Chapter 4 The Divine Comedy Chapter 5 Selected Poetry Chapter 6 Kristin Lavransdatter Chapter 7 The Power and the Glory Chapter 8 Brideshead Revisited Chapter 9 Everything That Rises Must Converge Chapter 10 Holy the Firm Chapter 11 Deep River Chapter 12 The Stream and the Sapphire
Mary Reichardt is professor of Catholic Studies and English at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. An accomplished literary critic, she is also the author of the Encyclopedia of Catholic Literature (forthcoming).
How refreshing! In the midst of so much critical cant, here is for
once a true 'resource guide'. Remarkably transparent, it doesn't
flaunt Reichardt's personal agenda or sophisticated style. As
clearly, precisely and concisely as possible, it presents twelve
texts in their own light, after a short introduction to their
authors. This does not keep Reichardt from demonstrating their
potential as launching pads for serious religious discussion. Her
astute choice of works for this anthology reflects much classroom
experience. All of them are highly teachable: attractive, personal,
non-dogmatic, full of questions, they involve their reader
inextricably and openly into exploring fundamental and challenging
dimensions of Catholicism. Reichardt's analyses demonstrate the
value of such literature for deepening one's grasp of this
incarnational and sacramental tradition. Here is indeed an
excellent tool for a new generation attempting to reclaim the right
to a Catholic reading of literature.
*Janine Langan, University of Toronto*
As interest in Catholic Literature and thought grows, this
propitious volume cuts across genres, cultures and centuries to
reveal the true catholicity of both faith and literature, and the
fruitful interaction between them. Students will find the
individual chapters accessible and engaging while being challenged
by Reichardt's keen analyses of the writers and their works.
Scholars will regard her trenchant introduction, especially her
insistence that these authors' religion was central to their
creative vision, as a thoughtful contribution to attempts to define
'Catholic literature.' This is a timely treatment of timeless
texts.
*Adam Schwartz, author of The Third Spring: G. K. Chesterton,
Graham Greene, Christopher Dawson, and David Jones*
A lucid and illuminating treatment of a range of twelve Catholic
writers from St. Augustine and Julian of Norwich through Undset,
Greene, and Endo. Mary Reichardt demonstrates a sure grasp of the
theological currents and ideas these writers address and of the
commonality yet distinctiveness of their visions. The concreteness
of her particular interpretations is as impressive as her
understanding of the Catholic tradition these works share and so
strikingly articulate.
*Thomas Werge, University of Notre Dame*
It is easy to imagine very innovative curricula developing from the
use of this volume as a textbook, especially for students.
Reichardt's scholarly support for her readings resounds with
critical voices heard only faintly beneath the loud drumming of
deconstruction and theory in the recent decades. Those unfamiliar
with the subject will be surprised to discover that writers as
disparate as Augustine of Hippo, Sigrid Undset, and Shusaku Endo
might be more alike than they are different.
*Kathleen Burk, University of Dallas*
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