The Victorian Ghost Story and Theology
Author | : Zoe Lehmann Imfeld |
Publisher | : Springer |
Total Pages | : 197 |
Release | : 2016-07-27 |
ISBN-10 | : 9783319302195 |
ISBN-13 | : 3319302191 |
Rating | : 4/5 (191 Downloads) |
Download or read book The Victorian Ghost Story and Theology written by Zoe Lehmann Imfeld and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-27 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book argues that theology is central to an understanding of the literary ghost story. Victorian ghost stories have traditionally been read in the context of agnosticism – as stories which reveal a society struggling with Christian orthodoxy in a new ‘Enlightened’ world. This book, however, uses theological ideas from St Augustine through to modern theologians to identify a theological journey taken by the protagonists of such stories, and charts each stage of this journey through the short stories it examines. It also proposes a theory of reader participation which creates an imaginary space in which modern epistemology is suspended. The book studies the work of four major authors of the supernatural tale: Arthur Machen, M.R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu and Henry James.