Christianity and Western Literature

Book excerpt: Some of the greatest works of Western literature have been inspired or influenced by powerful Christian themes. In this fresh evaluation of this relationship and its development over the last two millennia, Ambrose Mong studies a series of authors representative of the changing epochs. Augustine, Dante and Milton all wrote to serve the needs of the Christian community, and combine their religious themes with scholarly excellence. Meanwhile Shakespeare’s plays and Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, though not specific to the Christian faith, nevertheless betray the dominant Christian values and imagery of their time. Finally, in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and Greene’s The Power and the Glory, Christianity is put under scrutiny, reflecting the increasing insecurity of its place in society. Throughout, Mong also shows that the themes in these works are to a certain extent universal. Creation, sin, suffering and forgiveness are perennial human concerns, beyond the exclusive purview of Christianity, and these texts serve to challenge Christian assumptions as much as they are influenced by them. Always thorough and sensitive to the unique context of each writer, Mong’s analysis provides an important grounding in the way Western literature has shaped and been shaped by the religion of its day.