Play, Literature, Religion

Play, Literature, Religion
Author: Virgil Nemoianu
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 1992-07-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780791409367

Using the concept of play as a common denominator, 11 essays outline the various ways literary creativity can act as a free, open, and speculatively unburdened expression of religious concerns. The examples range from the midrashic implications of early Biblical texts, to 20th-century exegeses. Paper edition (unseen), $12.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

An Introduction to Religion and Literature

An Introduction to Religion and Literature
Author: Mark Knight
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2009-01-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1441117873

Religion has always been an integral part of the literary tradition: many canonical and non-canonical texts engage extensively with religious ideas, and the development of English Literature as a professional discipline began with an explicit consideration of the relationship between religion and literature. Literature also plays an important role in religious writing, as twentieth-century work on narrative theology has acknowledged. Both the recent theological turn of literary theory and the renewed political significance of religious debate in contemporary western culture have generated further interest in this interdisciplinary area. An Introduction to Religion and Literature offers a lucid, accessible and thoughtful introduction to the study of religion and literature. While the focus is on Christian theology and post-1800 British literature, substantial reference is made to earlier writers, texts from North America and mainland Europe, and other faith positions. Each chapter takes up a major theological idea and explores it through close readings of well-known and influential literary texts.

Community, Religion, and Literature

Community, Religion, and Literature
Author: Cleanth Brooks
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
Total Pages: 364
Release: 1995
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780826209931

As the last collection of Cleanth Brooks's essays before his death, Community, Religion, and Literature represents his final, considered views on the reading of literature and the role it plays in our society. He argues that the proper and essential role of literature lies in giving us our sense of community. Yet he denounces the extent to which literature, too, is now being usurped by the critics who see writing as pure language. He believes that just as religion renders truth of another sort, so literature is an expression of the "truth about human beings." More and more in this age of science, literature has "assumed the burden of providing civilization with its values." Community, Religion, and Literature offers students of literature the opportunity to understand what Cleanth Brooks was actually saying, rather than what others have said he was saying.

Unbridled

Unbridled
Author: William Robert
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2022-02-14
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0226816907

"In Unbridled, scholar of religion William Robert uses Peter Shaffer's enigmatic 1973 play Equus, about a boy passionately devoted to horses, to think about and teach religion. For Robert, a play like Equus tangles together text, performance, practice, embodiment, and reception. Studying a play involves us in playing different roles, as ourselves and others, and those roles, as well as the imaginative work they require, are critical to the study of religion. By approaching Equus with the reader, Robert transforms standard approaches to the study of religion, engaging with key themes including ritual, sacrifice, worship, power, desire, violence, and sexuality, as well as major thinkers such as Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, and contemporary theorists such as J. Z. Smith and Judith Butler. As Robert shows, the way themes and theories play out in Equus challenges us to imagine the study of religion anew through open questioning, contrasting perspectives, and alternative modes of interpretation and appreciation"--

Religion at Play

Religion at Play
Author: Andre Droogers
Publisher: Lutterworth Press
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2015-03-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 071884386X

Is a powerful position a guarantee that a religion will continue? Does God take sides in religious power struggles? Can God survive religious exclusivity and diversity? Is God migrating from out there to in here? Is religion sustainable in the long run? In seeking answers to these questions, this book explores the possibilities afforded by playful religion. Religion has playful origins, but this aspect is forgotten as soon as institutional power becomes self-serving insteadof subservient. Power changes the very essence of religion. Virtually all religions are distorted versions of a playful original. Institutionalization is religion's curse, not its blessing. Apparent success hides the failure of religion to be faithful to its original intent. This book helps find the way back from bordering to inclusivity and openness.

A Will to Believe

A Will to Believe
Author: David Scott Kastan
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2014
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 0199572895

A Will to Believe is a revised version of Kastan's 2008 Oxford Wells Shakespeare Lectures, providing a provocative account of the ways in which religion animates Shakespeare's plays.

The Complete Works: Poetry, Plays, Literary Essays, Lectures, Autobiography and Letters (Classic Illustrated Edition)

The Complete Works: Poetry, Plays, Literary Essays, Lectures, Autobiography and Letters (Classic Illustrated Edition)
Author: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 6031
Release: 2024-01-07
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN:

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a prominent figure of the Romantic era, presents readers with a comprehensive collection of his literary works in 'The Complete Works: Poetry, Plays, Literary Essays, Lectures, Autobiography and Letters (Classic Illustrated Edition)'. Coleridge's intricate and elegantly crafted poetry, insightful literary essays, and thought-provoking lectures offer readers a glimpse into the creativity and depth of Romantic literature. His works often explore themes of nature, imagination, and the supernatural, resonating with audiences both past and present. This edition provides readers with a wealth of material that showcases Coleridge's versatile talent and profound understanding of the human experience. The collection is a valuable resource for scholars and enthusiasts of Romantic literature alike. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's expertise as a poet, critic, and lecturer shines through in this comprehensive collection, giving readers a profound insight into his artistic vision and literary contributions. Whether you are a dedicated scholar of Coleridge's work or a newcomer to Romantic literature, 'The Complete Works' offers a rich and rewarding reading experience that is sure to captivate and inspire.

Dangerous Games

Dangerous Games
Author: Joseph Laycock
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2015-02-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0520284917

The 1980s saw the peak of a moral panic over fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. A coalition of moral entrepreneurs that included representatives from the Christian Right, the field of psychology, and law enforcement claimed that these games were not only psychologically dangerous but an occult religion masquerading as a game. Dangerous Games explores both the history and the sociological significance of this panic. Fantasy role-playing games do share several functions in common with religion. However, religionÑas a socially constructed world of shared meaningÑcan also be compared to a fantasy role-playing game. In fact, the claims of the moral entrepreneurs, in which they presented themselves as heroes battling a dark conspiracy, often resembled the very games of imagination they condemned as evil. By attacking the imagination, they preserved the taken-for-granted status of their own socially constructed reality. Interpreted in this way, the panic over fantasy-role playing games yields new insights about how humans play and together construct and maintain meaningful worlds. LaycockÕs clear and accessible writing ensures that Dangerous Games will be required reading for those with an interest in religion, popular culture, and social behavior, both in the classroom and beyond.

Theorizing Rituals, Volume 1: Issues, Topics, Approaches, Concepts

Theorizing Rituals, Volume 1: Issues, Topics, Approaches, Concepts
Author: Jens Kreinath
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 803
Release: 2018-08-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9047410777

Volume one of Theorizing Rituals assembles 34 leading scholars from various countries and disciplines working within this field. The authors review main methodological and meta-theoretical problems (part I) followed by some of the classical issues (part II). Further chapters discuss main approaches to theorizing rituals (part III) and explore some key analytical concepts for theorizing rituals (part IV). The volume is provided with extensive indices.

The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Poetry, Plays, Literary Essays, Lectures, Autobiography and Letters (Classic Illustrated Edition)

The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Poetry, Plays, Literary Essays, Lectures, Autobiography and Letters (Classic Illustrated Edition)
Author: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Publisher: e-artnow
Total Pages: 6021
Release: 2015-05-02
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 8026836111

This carefully crafted ebook: "The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Poetry, Plays, Literary Essays, Lectures, Autobiography and Letters (Classic Illustrated Edition)” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) was an English poet, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He wrote the poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, as well as the major prose work Biographia Literaria. His critical work, especially on Shakespeare, was highly influential, and he helped introduce German idealist philosophy to English-speaking culture. Content: Introduction: The Spirit of the Age: Mr. Coleridge by William Hazlitt A Day With Samuel Taylor Coleridge by May Byron The Life of Samuel Taylor Coleridge by James Gillman Poetry: Notable Works: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Kubla Khan; or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment Christabel France: An Ode LYRICAL BALLADS, WITH A FEW OTHER POEMS (1798) LYRICAL BALLADS, WITH OTHER POEMS (1800) THE CONVERSATION POEMS The Complete Poems in Chronological Order Plays: OSORIO REMORSE THE FALL OF ROBESPIERRE ZAPOLYA: A CHRISTMAS TALE IN TWO PARTS THE PICCOLOMINI THE DEATH OF WALLENSTEIN Literary Essays, Lectures and Memoirs: BIOGRAPHIA LITERARIA ANIMA POETAE SHAKSPEARE, WITH INTRODUCTORY MATTER ON POETRY, THE DRAMA AND THE STAGE AIDS TO REFLECTION CONFESSIONS OF AN INQUIRING SPIRIT AND MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS FROM "THE FRIEND” HINTS TOWARDS THE FORMATION OF A MORE COMPREHENSIVE THEORY OF LIFE OMNIANA. 1812 A COURSE OF LECTURES LITERARY NOTES SPECIMENS OF THE TABLE TALK OF SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE LITERARY REMAINS OF S.T. COLERIDGE Complete Letters: LETTERS OF SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE BIBLIOGRAPHIA EPISTOLARIS