The Gospel According to the Novelist - Religious Scripture and Contemporary Fiction

Why have so many prominent literary authors-from Philip Pullman and Jose Saramago to Michele Roberts and Colm Toibim-recently rewritten the canonical story of Jesus Christ? What does that say about our supposedly secular age? In this insightful study, Magdalena Maczynska defines and examines the genre of scriptural metafiction : novels that not only transform religious texts but also draw attention to these transformations. In addition to providing rich examples and close readings, Maczynska positions literary studies within interdisciplinary debates about religion and secularity. Her book demonstrates a surprising turn of events: even as contemporary novelists deconstruct the traditional categories of "secular" and "sacred" writing, they open up new spaces for scripture in contemporary culture.>

About the author

Magdalena Maczynska is Associate Professor at Marymount Manhattan College, USA.

Product details

• Authors: Dr. Magdalena Maczynska, Magdalena Maczynska, Maczynska Magdalena
• Assisted by: Mark Knight (Editor), Emma Mason (Editor)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 27.08.2015
• EAN: 9781780936239
• ISBN: 978-1-78093-623-9
• No. of pages: 160
• Series: New Directions in Religion and Literature; New Directions in Religion and Literature; New Directions in Religion and
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > English linguistics / literary studies