Religion of Literature ((3))

Catalog description

This course examines the literary expression of religious experiences and ideas. The object of the course is to familiarize students with a selection of texts drawn from a variety of writers for whom religion and its literary portrayal are fundamental concerns; to examine the role of different genres such as scripture, sermons, poetry, essays, memoirs, and novels in shaping the expression of religious experiences and ideas, and the influence that form plays upon such depiction; to examine the role of myth, metaphor, symbol, and the creative imagination in religious literature; to develop a comprehensive understanding of critical approaches to the interplay of religion and literature such that the student may develop a good working ability to use and adapt such methods to her or his own work; and to chart the changes in the human understanding of religious ideas and institutions through the works of authors committed to the value and importance of issues of faith.