A Literary History of Reconciliation: Power, Remorse and the Limits of Forgiveness

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Description

From William Shakespeare to Marilynne Robinson, this book examines representations of interpersonal reconciliation in works of literature, focusing on how these representations draw on the language of divine forgiveness. Christian theology sees divine forgiveness as conditional upon a sinners remorse and self-abasement before God, but also as a form of grace unconditional and rooted only in divine love. Van Dijkhuizen explores what happens when this paradoxical forgiveness paradigm comes to serve as a template for interpersonal reconciliation. As A Literary History of Reconciliation shows, literary writers imagine interpersonal reconciliation as being centrally about power and hierarchy, and present forgiveness without power as longed for but ever elusive. Drawing on major works of literature from the early modern era to the present day, this book explores works by John Milton, Virginia Woolf, J.M. Coetzee, Ian McEwan and others to craft a literary history that will appeal to readers interested in literature, religion and philosophy.

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A thoughtful overview of reconciliation in modern literature Dijkhuizen traces reconciliations history through novels such as Samuel Richardsons Pamela, William Godwins Caleb Williams, and Charles Dickenss Dombey and Son, thus also sketching the emergence of the modern subject. These valuable readings provide valuable insights ModernistsVirginia Woolf, James Joyceare read in such a way as to show not only that reconciliation is an important theme but also that their plots are as important as their style. Summing Up: Recommended. * Choice *

Author Bio

Jan Frans van Dijkhuizen is Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. His previous books include Pain and Compassion in Early Modern English Literature and Culture (2012) and Devil Theatre: Demonic Possession and Exorcism in English Renaissance Drama (2007).