Catholic fiction: Difference between revisions
Reginadoman (talk | contribs) |
Reginadoman (talk | contribs) mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
For instance, according to this model, the book [[The Lord of the Rings]] can be called "Catholic fiction" because the author, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], was a devout Catholic and admitted that there are Catholic themes underlying his work. The works of [[Flannery O'Connor]] and [[Walker Percy]] also sometimes categorized as such. The works of authors such as [[Willa Cather]] and [[C. S. Lewis]] have also been termed "Catholic fiction," even though those authors are not Catholic. |
For instance, according to this model, the book [[The Lord of the Rings]] can be called "Catholic fiction" because the author, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], was a devout Catholic and admitted that there are Catholic themes underlying his work. The works of [[Flannery O'Connor]] and [[Walker Percy]] also sometimes categorized as such. The works of authors such as [[Willa Cather]] and [[C. S. Lewis]] have also been termed "Catholic fiction," even though those authors are not Catholic. |
||
== History of Catholic Fiction in America == |
|||
In the early years of the twentieth century, Catholic publishers published fiction along with their typical output of catechetical and devotional books. Catholic author Ralph McInerny [http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/arts/al0002.html recalls reading many of these books growing up]. These books were marketed to the "niche" of the Catholic ghettos: children of Catholic immigrants who felt marginalized by mainstream American society. Books such as [[Tom Playfair]] were moralistic in content and message, but were enjoyed by many Catholic child readers. It was mainly popular fiction, with few literary pretensions. Only a few of these books attained the status of minor classics, such as Miles Connolly's Mr. Blue. |
In the early years of the twentieth century, Catholic publishers published fiction along with their typical output of catechetical and devotional books. Catholic author Ralph McInerny [http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/arts/al0002.html recalls reading many of these books growing up]. These books were marketed to the "niche" of the Catholic ghettos: children of Catholic immigrants who felt marginalized by mainstream American society. Books such as [[Tom Playfair]] were moralistic in content and message, but were enjoyed by many Catholic child readers. It was mainly popular fiction, with few literary pretensions. Only a few of these books attained the status of minor classics, such as Miles Connolly's Mr. Blue. |
||
Revision as of 20:25, 19 August 2010
 |
|
Catholic fiction is a disputed term. On the one hand, it may refer to any fiction that deals with Catholic characters or a Catholic setting (such as The Bells of St. Marys or The Song of Bernadette, or The Shoes of the Fisherman. Or it can refer to the emerging genre of fiction specifically targeted to a Catholic readership, which is similar to Christian fiction in this respect.
Broader meaning
Sometimes the term "Catholic fiction" is used to indicate works that have a strong "Catholic sensibility" to them, even if the authors themselves are not Catholic or if the works in question have no overt Catholic trappings.
For instance, according to this model, the book The Lord of the Rings can be called "Catholic fiction" because the author, J.R.R. Tolkien, was a devout Catholic and admitted that there are Catholic themes underlying his work. The works of Flannery O'Connor and Walker Percy also sometimes categorized as such. The works of authors such as Willa Cather and C. S. Lewis have also been termed "Catholic fiction," even though those authors are not Catholic.
History of Catholic Fiction in America
In the early years of the twentieth century, Catholic publishers published fiction along with their typical output of catechetical and devotional books. Catholic author Ralph McInerny recalls reading many of these books growing up. These books were marketed to the "niche" of the Catholic ghettos: children of Catholic immigrants who felt marginalized by mainstream American society. Books such as Tom Playfair were moralistic in content and message, but were enjoyed by many Catholic child readers. It was mainly popular fiction, with few literary pretensions. Only a few of these books attained the status of minor classics, such as Miles Connolly's Mr. Blue.
In the wake of the Second Vatican Council, many Catholics began to question their identity and many cultural aspects of Catholicism fell by the wayside. The market for popular Catholic fiction dropped at this time, though many Catholic authors took to publishing in the mainstream press. The novels of Fr. Andrew Greeley and Morris West became popular, whose authors and main characters freely questioned their Catholic heritage.
Author Amy Welborn has attributed the disappearance of popular Catholic fiction from 1968 through the 1990s as a result of the majority of Catholics questioning of their identity. Additionally, Catholic authors who were interested in creating Catholic fiction spent too much energy fighting interchurch battles over the liturgy and dissent from the Magisterium.
Catholic Fiction in the Mainstream after Vatican II
When Catholic publishers ceased publishing Catholic popular fiction, many Catholic writers had no choice but to publish in the mainstream or even the Christian fiction market. Some Catholic authors who became successful in the mainstream press were Mary Higgins Clark, Ron Hansen, Dean Koontz and Ralph McInerny. These writers sometimes featured Catholic main characters or dealt with Catholic themes.
Catholic Apologetics As Fiction
In the 1990s, some novels appeared which tried to revive the genre of popular Catholic fiction. Several of them featured apocalyptic themes, among them Pierced by a Sword by Bud McFarlene (1995) and Father Elijah by Canadian artist and author Michael O'Brien(1998). These novels seemed to strike a chord with many Catholics, but they were criticized for their poor writing or overly evangelical focus.
Popular books by Catholic author that use fiction to spread a Catholic evangelical message continue to be published and continue to be criticized. A series that is currently popular among those Catholics interested in courtship are the books by Carmen Marcoux, Arms of Love (2001) and Surrender (2007).
Stories in a Catholic Setting
Catholic fiction may be loosely divided into two types. The one type has as its purpose promoting the Roman Catholic Church whereas the second type is not evangelical and are stories set in a Catholic setting.
Novels of the second type would include:
- Morris West
- Henry Morton Robinson
- The Cardinal
- Compasse
- Dominion I: Seed
- Dominion II: Phoenix
- Dominion III: Tryst
- Dominion IV: Requiem
- Dominion V: Ascension
- Dominion VI: Abyss
- Dominion VII: Revelation
 | This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. |